


The Project

by theLureln



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: A little angst, Chasing the "Bad for You" Boy/Girl, Drama & Romance, F/M, Insecurity, Sex, commitment issues, emotional stupidity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2020-07-07 04:53:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 90,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19844899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theLureln/pseuds/theLureln
Summary: In which Niv-Mizzet plays matchmaker, for his own reasons of course.Will be updated Fridays after FNM.NSFW: 3/6/9/12/19/20/21/30/35/36/41/43/44/45/46***Takes place before formation of the Gatewatch.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is primarily romance with a teeny bit of plot because I find writing that to be my second best stress reliever.  
> May also be based on some of my own stupid dating experiences, minus all the awesome magic.
> 
> Sorry chapters are short but I'm juggling a social, dating and school life with writing so that's as long as it gets ;) I will be going back periodically and adding in detailing to scenes, I think I tend to rush through descriptions of surroundings/settings.  
> 

All the land was still and yet his mind never rested. His madness could be attributed in part to his inability to stifle his ever wandering thoughts. He had pondered infinite matters over the course of centuries, but on this night he found himself returning to the one question that it seemed every sentient being dwelled upon at least once in their existence. What was the meaning of life? He supposed he would answer to attain as much knowledge as possible before fading away to time, but there had to be more to it than that. He was always restless, and this night he took to wandering the meandering halls of the aerie, making his way down floors as he drifted along lost in his musings.  
The hour was so late he was astonished when he discovered activity in his library. Easily the size of a large residence, the area was lined from floor to ceiling with books, scrolls, and every other conceivable form of the written word. Decorated in muted colors of the guild, the rooms were a peaceful foil to the whirling thoughts of their master and had been deliberately designed to be relaxing. It was easier to focus one's attention in such an environment. Tasteful furniture was scattered throughout the space, elaborately carved tables and cushioned chairs that put comfort first. He was much too large for any of it, of course, but he did occasionally exceed the needs of his servants.  
In one corner of the archives, near the great vault where he kept his most valuable spells locked away, a woman sat poring over an enormous tome outlining the contents of that section of the bibliotheca. Clearly she was reorganizing the space and had presumably lost track of time. He was bemused by her devotion, more so as he drew near to her and realized she was nothing more than an archivist. She wasn't a mage, alchemist, nothing. She was just a girl. Interesting she'd managed to get a position in the library, but it perhaps explained her dedication to the job. There was a legion of novice magic users who would kill for her position.  
She went still as he approached, carefully setting down her pen and placing her hands in her lap before training her eyes on the vicinity of his chest.  
"My lord," she greeted him, the slight tremble in her voice giving away her anxiety and possibly fear.  
She was right to be afraid. He could be a tyrant when the mood struck him. At the moment though his curiosity was piqued. "It would be much faster to catalog the texts by using magic instead of taking down everything by hand and rearranging it manually."  
Her chin rose in the air slightly, not enough to meet his gaze but the action amused him nonetheless. She was cautious but not a coward. "I am incapable of casting spells, my liege."  
Honesty was a refreshing and rare quality when it was given voluntarily. Particularly since her lack of power would ordinarily cost her the job now that he was aware of her existence. "How did you manage to enter the employ of the guild without magic?"   
Her mouth curved into a slight smile as she replied, "I have the gift of extreme detail to organization, my lord. I was originally brought here to assist another mage, but I performed so well I was offered a position of my own. It also helps that I have no personal life whatsoever so I spend most of my free time here."  
Her words surprised a laugh out of him. Normally by this time his mind was being drawn into a myriad of directions as he grew bored with mundane conversation, and while it was true pressing questions were whispering in the background, they were muted for the moment. He was not used to such frankness from his lower subordinates. He could add courage to her list of qualities, or perhaps foolishness. Either trait was admirable in the right circumstances and for the time being he chose to be amused.  
"Such devotion is to be commended, if not recommended. A child your age should occasionally venture out in the world instead of burying yourself in work," he pointed out.  
Her shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly, insulted perhaps by his own frankness. "I'm certain the daily activities of one such as myself is beneath your notice my liege. You have come to the library for the first time since my employment here, and while I am sure you know the ins and outs of this place far better than I, I feel compelled to ask if there is anything I can assist you with?"  
Clever words to disguise what could be taken as a reprimand, or not. The ambiguity only improved his humor. Courageous or foolish indeed. It was a shame she was merely human. "I came here for no particular reason. I was merely thinking to myself and wandered this way. But since you are so generously offering your assistance, it would be remiss of me to not accept it. What do you suppose is the meaning of life?"  
Now he surprised her into laughing, and in that unguarded moment she forgot herself enough to raise her eyes to his. "I would never presume to have an encompassing answer for a query like that, particularly when presented by you. However if you genuinely want to know, I can say that I feel there is no one reason for all but rather one per person. For instance, I think the meaning of life is love in all of it's facets."  
He would normally dismiss such an answer, love being of minimal interest to him, except she had mentioned it in terms of aspects and in a way that indicated she knew her answer was one he would most likely not agree with. Her subjective surmising was distinctly wise despite her simple status. "That's a surprising answer coming from someone who claims to have no personal life."  
The laughter abruptly died from her face as she lowered her eyes once again. "Yes well, such a remarkable thing as love frequently overlooks the ordinary."  
She had a shrewd opinion of herself. Although he was not human, he knew her to be no great beauty for the species. Not unattractive but not outstanding either. Her lack of magic would be a deterrent to the greater population. Her intelligence, while capable of balancing her merely pretty appearance, was not something one would discover without approaching her first. It wasn't hard to conclude she would most likely end up alone. He was surprised to find himself annoyed by that fact. It just seemed a waste, considering her honesty and courage.  
"Perhaps, but then again, something as 'remarkable' as love might just be taking it's time until the moment is right," he finally answered her, a series of minor thoughts floating through his mind. "What is your name, girl?"  
She shifted in her seat, clearly surprised by his question, rightly thinking she was beneath the attention of her guildmaster as a mere archivist. "I am called Lorissa deCar my lord."  
"Look at me when you speak," he commanded, his arrogance at last asserting itself, waiting until her eyes once again met his. "I, of course, am Niv-Mizzet. Well met Lorissa deCar."

A/N: This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	2. Chapter 2

Jace Beleren was not in the best of moods as he made his way through the halls of Nivix. He rarely left a meeting with the Dracogenius without feeling as if he were one step behind the thinking of the mad dragon. It was an unsettling occurrence for a man who prided himself on being a master manipulator and planner himself. It was possible the guild master's borderline insanity was what enabled him to be so confounding. He had asked the dragon for a tracking spell, he was seeking a rare ingredient for the construction of a phylactery to store memories in. Niv-Mizzet had agreed to allow him the use of the spell for a price, an unnamed favor to be determined in the future. He intensely disliked owing favors, but the dragon would accept no other payment, so the Mind Sculptor had agreed with the condition he had the right to refuse a request he found unreasonable.  
Jace entered the library and began scanning the area for the person Niv-Mizzet had told him to look for. He had to search twice before he spotted her. Everyone else there was wearing bold colors of their guild on outrageous outfits, but she was dressed in comfortable clothing done in neutral tones. As he walked up to her, his first impression of her was that of a faerie or more precisely an ouphe, although she was still within the range of human height merely on the short side. She was small and delicate, with dark hair and eyes, pretty in an eye catching way once you noticed her. Her movements were quick and graceful as she darted around, completely oblivious to his presence until he was nearly upon her.  
She turned to look at him as his shadow fell over her, and for a moment they were both taken aback by how he towered over her. Her brown eyes met his gaze straight on, and the intensity of her arrested him as she asked in a dulcet voice, "May I help you?"  
The man in front of her demanded attention with his elaborate blue clothing that was flashy even in a library full of guildmages. He was tall and lean, with hair so dark that it gleamed deep cerulean in places and riveting electric blue eyes that eclipsed the strange white markings, possibly scars or tattoos, on his face. There was something familiar about him, as if she should know who he was, but she didn't. She wouldn't forget a man as handsome as he was.  
"That depends, are you Lorissa deCar," he responded, his voice smooth and self assured.  
His confidence was rather attractive; she was disconcerted enough by his appearance and demeanor to stammer slightly as she said, "Yes I am."  
Jace was amused by her reaction; no doubt such a low ranked practitioner was intimidated by his presence. His fame generally preceded him these days. He smirked at her out of habit. He was somewhat surprised the dragon had directed him to the girl since she was obviously just a bureaucrat, and out of curiosity he skimmed her mind.  
Despite his physical appeal, the smile he gave her was a turn off. This man was arrogant she realized with disappointment. Such a waste of a good fantasy she could have used while touching herself later.  
He invaded her thoughts just in time to catch the blatantly carnal image and the grin was immediately wiped from his face as his body instinctively reacted to the sexual picture. He drew his breath in sharply as he grew hard in an instant, suddenly aware of her in a much more primal way. He wasn't sure how to respond since he knew she had no idea he'd read her mind. Common sense warned him to keep such a detail to himself, and his baser instincts were telling him to find a way to get inside her. Used to being able to govern his urges, he was nonplussed to find it was difficult to recall the reason he was there in the first place.  
"Niv-Mizzet sent me to you for a tracking spell he has in his vault," he finally managed to mutter out between clenched teeth, doing his best to ignore the throbbing in his groin. He held up an insignia the dragon had given him, stating the archivist would recognize it.  
Lorissa was confused by the strained tone of his voice, but she knew the guildmaster's seal and the spell name written on it so she nodded at the man and said, "I can get that for you."  
"Lead the way," Jace replied, knowing he would be walking with a pronounced limp from his unruly erection and not wanting her to see it. He drew his cloak around himself to hide the obvious bulge as she turned and made her way across the library with him close behind.  
Despite the precaution, he felt several eyes tracking their progress since he was so highly recognizable. He only hoped they thought he was limping due to an injury. Following her allowed him the time to openly study her. She was slender, not at all as voluptuous as the women that usually managed to distract him from his never ending pursuit of knowledge and to a less intentional degree power. She was much shorter than he preferred and she was no great beauty. Frankly his reaction to her seemed absurd, even knowing she'd planned on masturbating while picturing him. He'd had kinky sex with some fantastic lovers. Why did he find her so exciting?  
He decided to probe her again, this time checking for her powers. Perhaps she was some sort of siren. He was astonished to find she had none at all. She was just a human. How on earth had she gotten a job as an archivist for Niv-Mizzet? He was still pondering that question as she glided to a halt before the vault and ran her palms over the surface of the door, which swung open upon recognizing her. He was transfixed by the motion of her hands, imagining them gliding over his aroused body. He cursed under his breath, knowing such thoughts were only prolonging his torture.  
Jace was a man of action as much as planning, and as he stepped into the vault, reeling from his attraction to her, he reached a decision. There were several pressing guild matters on Ravnica that required his attention in addition to his own experiments and he couldn't afford to be distracted. Better to just get this out of the way he realized as he hovered behind her, excruciatingly aware of her proximity, close enough to touch if he just reached out to do it.  
The day had started out normally for Lorissa. She'd gotten up, fed her Pride lion Nix, and headed to work. She'd spent the day continuing the organization of the transmogrification section of the library in solitude, unnoticed as usual by the guildmages who believed she was beneath their attention since she had no magic. Then this gorgeous man showed up and left her feeling nervous and flustered. She could sense him standing by her, so close his body heat seemed to caress her, his breath fanning the hair on the top of her head as she quickly located the item he was looking for.  
She turned around to give him the spell and her nose brushed his chest. Wow he'd been closer than she realized. She hopped away from him in surprise, her eyes wide as she glanced up at him. He was watching her with a hooded expression that made her nervous. "Here's the spell you were looking for."  
She placed the item in his hand and shivered at the contact, startled by how good the accidental touch felt.  
"Thank you," he replied, his voice almost bored as he handed her the insignia from Niv-Mizzet. "And now that's taken care of, I need your help with something else. _I want you_."  
He spoke the last three words softly, his voice dropping to a seductive pitch that was completely lost on her because she was so utterly disoriented by the words themselves. Her initial thought was surely she hadn't heard him correctly. He'd probably said I want you to help me with something else. Strange men did not proposition her; she was not the type of woman to inspire grand passion. As he continued to stand there, clearly awaiting a response, she realized she had in fact heard him correctly. Was this some kind of joke?  
"You don't even know my name," she blurted out, still confused and fairly certain she'd misheard him.  
"So tell it to me, I'll need to know what to call you by in bed," he said, his eyes pinning her in place, not a pickup line but a statement of fact.  
Well, that cleared up her earlier confusion. He was definitely trying to pick her up. Not for anything meaningful like a date, just sex. Still the man was delicious and she hadn't been with anyone in a long time. She found herself saying, "Lorissa" before she could think better of it.  
"You can call me Jace," he murmured, taking her response as an assent, reaching behind him to draw the vault door shut, sealing the two of them inside.  
Lorissa blinked as the door closed and he removed his cloak. "Wait a second, you mean right now?"  
He was charmed by her scandalized tone, her innocence as cute as it was disarming. For answer he gestured below his belt, where his erection was rather obvious even beneath all the layers of his clothing. "Absolutely."

* * *

In his aerie at the top of Nivix, Niv-Mizzet chuckled to himself and shut off his link to the insignia he'd given the Mind Sculptor. The game was afoot.

A/N: This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	3. Chapter 3

Lorissa stared in dumbfounded silence as Jace pulled off the rest of his clothing. The body he bared was well developed and surprisingly athletic for someone who practiced magic. He had broad shoulders and a torso that tapered down to a narrow waist. The marks on his face were tattoos after all and flowed in a curved manner onto his shoulders and collarbones. His thighs were sleekly muscled and as he turned to pile his clothes to one side she caught a glimpse of a taut butt. When he faced her again she got an eyeful of a rather awesome erection. She quickly closed her eyes in embarrassment, unable to comprehend that she was about to have sex during the middle of the day at work with a complete stranger.

Jace watched her with a combination of amusement and impatience. He wanted to see her, touch her, taste her and she was still standing there completely clothed. From what he could tell, she had lovely legs, a tiny waist and prettily shaped breasts but he wanted to find out first hand. He wasn't a vain man but he knew many women found him desirable, so he was surprised this one was taking so long to accept what he offered.

"If you want you can just take off your panties," he finally said to break the silence, smiling as her eyes flew open in surprise. "I think it would be rather sexy being inside an otherwise clothed woman while I'm naked."

He meant what he said, the contrast turning him on enough to cause his cock to throb; he casually reached down and ran his palm over it to ease the ache. Her gaze followed the motion, her mouth parted and she licked her lower lip, causing a surge of lust to spike through him. He started to leak as he waited for her to react. Her eyelashes fluttered madly and then she straightened away from the wall, dragging her hands up her sides, over her breasts to unfasten her top. He followed the progress of her fingers as they teasingly slid each button free until the cloth parted to reveal a surprisingly sexy blue lace bra. He grinned when he saw the color, almost as if it were a portent. She slipped the blouse off and then reached down to undo her skirt. Until that moment he didn't even notice the thing actually buttoned in the front, but each one she unfastened revealed inches of silken skin that his fingers itched to feel. As she kicked the skirt aside his gaze hungrily lingered on the panties that perfectly matched her bra. For a moment they stood there and stared at one another, Jace naked and Lorissa nearly so except for her undergarments and heels.

"Why don't we try a compromise instead," she said into the charged silence, running a finger along the seam of her panties before pulling them to one side and baring her pussy to him.

His eyes locked in on her, lust jolted him like a lightning bolt and he was across the room in an instant, his response a primal reaction. She was turning out to be far more alluring than he'd expected. The thought barely registered before he put his hands on her and then it was gone. He lifted her off the ground to bring her face even with his and as she wrapped her legs around his waist he could feel how wet she was. He hadn't even really touched her yet and she was already that turned on by him. It drove him wild. His hands tightened on her arms and he crashed his mouth down against hers, incapable of finesse.

Lorissa didn't care about his lack of technique; he more than made up for it with unmitigated enthusiasm. He devoured her with his mouth, his tongue entwining with hers in a gliding rhythm that made her head spin, liquid heat radiating through her body, tightening her nipples and making her vagina quiver in response. He pushed her back against the wall of the vault, pressing his hips against hers, rubbing against the juncture of her thighs. The friction of his movements stroked over her clit and lit her up with a shockwave of delight; it had been so long that she came almost immediately. Her body arched as she lost herself in the wonderful feeling, she heard his gasp of pleasure as she ground her hips against his shaft and even as satisfaction hummed through her there was still an edge of need.

If he was surprised by how easily she came, he didn't show it. He swallowed her cries with his mouth before breaking away to trail feverish kisses down her neck to her breasts. He closed his lips over a nipple, sucking on her through the lace bra, the sensation of damp warmth and mild abrasion triggering an exquisite fever in her pussy. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed his face against her breast, craving more. Jace shuddered at her unspoken demand and drew on her nipple harder, loving the panting sounds she made as she writhed against him. She was so arousing in her uninhibited response he was running wet, grinding his cock against her, her underwear so drenched now that it was hardly a barrier. He pulled her panties aside and slipped a finger into her, groaning when he felt how tight she was. Her pussy clamped down on his finger as he rotated his hand and pressed his palm into her pubic bone, allowing the movement of his hips to rock his hand over her clit and his finger deeper into her. The minor penetration was the first she'd had in ages and it sent her into a frenzy, her hips pushing against his hand, increasing the friction and forcing his finger in as far as possible. He moaned in her ear as he finger fucked her, desperate to feel that tight heat around his dick. A few strokes later, he felt her body clench in reaction and she let out a scream that made him mindless.

Jace had never been with a woman who was so explosively responsive in his life. He couldn't wait for her any longer, he was done with foreplay. He'd make it up to her later. He needed inside her now, driven to take her, please her and in doing so reach his own satisfaction. He withdrew his finger from her and then tore off her panties, straightening up to watch her face as he shifted so the tip of his cock slipped inside her vagina.

"Look at me," he growled, overcome by primitive urges that vaguely alarmed him, and she met his stare as he plunged into her.

The fit was almost too tight, he was big and she was small, the pleasure bordering on pain as they both sighed in rapture when he pushed in to the balls. For a moment he remained still, trying to get his bearings. Too good also meant too short if he wasn't careful. But her pussy was scorching, wet and tight around his penis so that it was difficult to breathe let alone think. Then he gave up when he realized it was futile, he was out of control, a raging hunger trembling through his whole body. Next time, he'd pace himself. For now he wanted to tear her in two. He slammed her hips against the vault wall and frantically thrust into her, the force of his larger frame pinning her in place, helping her take him into her completely with each savage push. 

Lorissa was drowning in bliss as he began to pound into her, his movements uncontrolled and more exciting than anything she'd experienced before. She raked her nails up his back and into his shoulders and he kissed her again as his dick bucked inside her and his pace increased, obviously aroused by her response. The touch of his tongue against hers perfectly mirrored his driving inside her. The kiss was hot and needy; he was trying to ravage her with his mouth even as he dominated her with his strong body. Ecstasy spiraled within her to dizzying heights, impelled by his deep thrusts and demanding mouth, before abruptly snapping into another orgasm that made him grind against her violently.

"Harder," she sighed into his ear and he hissed back, "Fuck yeah," as he shifted his hands down to angle her hips and increased the pace yet again.

Jace's movements were animalistic, his own body singing with tension as he sensed the impending orgasm rushing towards him, his penis pulsing with the pleasure of sliding inside her. She was so tight, so hot, so wet, so needy for him that it made him crazy. He went over the edge, slamming into her hard, wanting her to feel every inch of his cock as he came for her. He was dimly aware of yet another orgasm washing over her as well, but he was so lost to euphoria that he didn't care, practically blinded by the unadulterated intensity of it as it roared through him, shooting from his dick up his spine, spreading out to every inch of his body. He collapsed against her as he regained his senses and his knees gave out, sliding them both to the floor.

The sound of their labored breathing echoed in the vault as Lorissa moved off of his lap, unsure how to act in the aftermath of such a staggering experience. Jace's hair was dripping sweat onto his face as he watched her move, his chest covered in a sheen from the exertion. She glanced over at him while reaching for her clothes and paused. He was still partially aroused, his muscles still distended from sex.

"You're magnificent," she muttered out loud, irritated by how compelling she found him.

He laughed, pleased by her artless admission but also aware of an urge to flee. It wasn't like his normal compulsion to leave once he'd gotten off. Rather it was the need to run from something far more intense than he'd been expecting. He stood and gathered his own clothing, trying to ignore the fact he was capable of having sex with her again already, aware of how rare and overwhelming his response to her was. For all her normalcy, she seemed to ignite him.

They dressed in silence and Lorissa suddenly sighed, "Well, this is awkward."

He hesitated in the process of pulling on his pants to glance at her, worried she was going to want to have a conversation about what they'd just done. She was standing there already dressed, holding up her torn panties and frowning. He laughed again, this time in relief, even as he found the idea of her walking around without underwear on incredibly sexy. Only he would know, and only he would know why. He was about to get another hard on so he made himself look away. As he turned his eyes to one side, from the corner of his vision he saw her gaze at him and tilt her head in a way that suggested she was checking him out from head to toe. His body tautened under her regard, muscles tensing in response to her visual touch, preening at her appraisal like some sort of mindless animal. His lack of governance over his body was an unpleasant truth for a man used to being in control of himself. She was dangerous.

"Gah this is so annoying, why can't I stop looking at you," she grumbled before turning away to pick up the discarded insignia from Niv-Mizzet.

Her blatant honesty brought a smile to his face and soothed his panicked sensibilities. She seemed to suffer from the same delirious attraction he was slave to and she didn't appear to enjoy it anymore than he did. He needed to take his leave, there were about a dozen complications on Ravnica demanding his time and if he was honest with himself he wanted to get away from this enticing woman. 

Jace walked up to Lorissa and brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "You were exceptional. Perhaps one day we can do this again."

Against his better judgment, he bent down and placed a light kiss on her lips. Heat blazed up between them almost instantly, they leaned into each other instinctively as her mouth opened under his. Before he realized it, his tongue had swept inside and was teasingly stroking against her own. They drowned in each other's taste as the kiss grew hotter, their bodies beginning to sing from the pleasure, his erection rising as her breasts swelled against his chest.

Jace shook his head in an effort to clear it and shoved her away from him. He wanted her again, now, even though he knew that shouldn't be the case. He refused to give her that kind of power over him. Lorissa stared at him in bemusement, mortified he was able to arouse her so easily. She just wanted her quiet, boring, oh so safe life back. They stood there gasping in the vault for an instant before he took the coward's way out. He teleported from the room out of sheer instinct and it was only after he left that he realized at some point, he'd confiscated her torn panties and forgotten his own belt in the process. He was no fool; he suspected his subconscious was trying to engineer a reason for him to see her again. But he wasn't going to if he could help it, she was far too threatening to his will.

A/N: That's right, sex in a vault! Because he's from the vault. Couldn't resist, lol.

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	4. Chapter 4

The Firemind was clever enough to realize if he went to see his little librarian right away, she might become suspicious of her seemingly random encounter with the Architect of Thought. So he brought into play his millennia of patience and managed to wait until the next day. In order to avoid notice, he didn't make an appearance in the athenaeum until well after sun down. Even then, there were still a handful of workers present when he made his entrance. They stiffened in surprise and bowed their heads as he passed; he nodded in acceptance of their obeisance as he continued on his way. They were undoubtedly wondering what had brought him there, but they would not dare to follow him.

He found Lorissa at work in the same area of the library, only this time there was a mountain of tomes, vellum, and folders piled around her. She was intently peering down at a scroll, brow furrowed in thought, oblivious to his presence until he said, "Still diligently cataloging Transmogrification I see."

She let out a most undignified yelp and flew up out of her seat, sending the scroll flying through the air. He sincerely hoped it wasn't a valuable spell but could hardly blame her for any damage it sustained thanks to his juvenile impulse to frighten her. She sent him a baleful glare, her hand on her chest as she stammered, "My liege what on earth are you doing here?"

Niv-Mizzet chuckled to himself, pleased with the unguarded response. That had been the whole point to scaring her; he found he was amused by her impertinent honesty. "I just wanted to make certain you were able to help an associate of mine that I sent to you the other day."

A circuitous way of bringing up her introduction to Jace, which the dragon did not want her to know he had orchestrated. On occasion he liked to entertain himself with pet projects and she had become one of his latest. There was the added bonus of meddling in the affairs of the Mind Sculptor, which the Dracogenius couldn't resist.

Of course his query had the subtly of a sledgehammer if she was at all suspicious, but the blank look she gave him indicated she wasn't. "I have assisted several dozen people in the last day, my lord. Which do you refer to?"

Apparently the library saw more traffic than he'd realized. "Ah, I was referring to the Memory Adept. He likes to dress in blue."

She still looked confused until he mentioned the clothing color. Then her eyes widened and a definite flush appeared. "Yes, I retrieved a scroll from the vault for him yesterday."

The dragon took a moment to carefully study her, taking note of her heightened color and alarmed face. Something had obviously occurred, how delightful. "Excellent, I hope he was polite to you. He's known to be a bit fast with his mouth."

The flush on her cheeks darkened perceptibly, how very interesting.

For her part, Lorissa was remembering how very fast Jace had put his mouth to work on her. She hadn't minded one bit, at least until after he left. Then there had been hours of recriminations. She'd had mind blowing sex with a man she hardly knew, on the job. Anyone could have walked in and caught them and she would have probably been fired. She had worked her ass off to obtain and keep this position. She would never find employment like this again and she had risked it all for a pretty face, drool worthy body and talented hands. There was also the small fact she didn't even know his full name, making her feel like something of a slut. Oh, not to mention how he simply vanished after banging her senseless. Sure he'd mentioned something about possibly meeting up again, but she knew very well he was just talking about on call sex and not dating. They'd used each other mutually although she hadn't exactly been in her right mind at the time, being utterly swept away by his overwhelming magnetism.

She'd spent the rest of her day at work lost in a daze and had finally gone home out of sheer frustration once she discovered she had misfiled the same book for the fourth time in a row. Nix had greeted her with his usual enthusiasm, meaning she had been forced to wrestle with the great cat a good fifteen minutes before he allowed her to change into more comfortable clothes and settle into her evening routine. Normally she'd read a good book, pause to make herself dinner and finish the book up while taking a relaxing bath. Last night she had stewed over her stupidity and vowed in future to not let her head be turned again so easily.

Of course her body wasn't so willing to forget about Jace. He'd turned her on like no one ever had before and pleasured her so well she was afraid no other man would be able to make her feel that good again. And they had only had sex once. It was a very troubling realization to say the least.

Sometime near dawn she had finally managed to stop remembering the feel of his hands and mouth on her body, falling into a restless sleep. This morning she'd only woken up on time thanks to Nix leaping onto the bed with enough force to make her fall out of it. Landing face first on the floor had gotten her to rise for the day albeit with ill grace. The smug cat was completely unrepentant, demanding his breakfast and morning adoration.

The day at work had passed uneventfully, except every time she had to go into the vault she had flashbacks to the day before. She was pretty sure she could catch the faint scent of sex on the air, but no one mentioned it. She'd kept herself so busy she had little time to think of the man, but now here was her guildmaster reminding her about him. The last thing she wanted to do was have graphic images of Jace in her mind while speaking with the dragon.

"He was perfectly civil," she finally answered, no longer able to meet her lord's gaze.

A boring but appropriate response given their relationship, but Niv-Mizzet found it unsatisfying. He wanted to know what had transpired. Perhaps he should have remained linked to the insignia he'd given to Jace, but the nature of their conversation at the time had suggested they were about to become intimate so the dragon had cut the connection. Now he was left with no clear knowledge of the outcome and no way of discerning the truth without seeming suspect. This was an unanticipated drawback. He decided to withdraw for the moment and bid her farewell, already formulating his next plan.

Lorissa watched him go with a sense of relief. It was never good to have the attention of a guildmaster unless one was strong enough to survive such a peril. As a mere mortal completely untrained in combat, she didn't fall into that category. She turned back to her work, determined to put Jace from her mind. Even if she wanted to see him again, she had no idea how to find him. It was better that way.

* * *

On the other side of Ravnica, Jace Beleren was contemplating yet another petty crisis between the Boros Legion and House Dimir. Apparently several of the soldiers had been found assassinated and both sides were pointing fingers. He'd spent the last hour listening to their guild representatives snipe one another and finally dismissed them to consider the matter. As a result he had a headache, but he drafted down a brief ruling and sent it off by messenger before lying down to sleep it off.

Of course the instant he tried to relax, his thoughts immediately returned to the incredible sex he'd had the day before and his cock hardened. Now he had a headache _and_ he was frustrated. Perfect. He reviewed his options and quickly decided since he had no intention of seeing the girl again so soon, if ever, he'd have to deal with his immediate problem himself. With a sigh he reached down and unfastened his pants, palming his aching shaft as it sprang free. He closed his eyes and deliberately thought about Lorissa, how hot and wet she'd been, how she clawed at him and screamed for him and begged him for more. He started stroking himself hard and fast as desire washed over him, pleasure streaking from his erection up along his spine. He remembered her smell, her taste, the way she writhed against him with vivid clarity. His hips rotated as he jerked himself off, panting as the orgasm hit him with unexpected speed and intensity, seeming to last forever. His eyes flew open in disbelief as he stared at the mess he'd made on the bed. He hadn't gotten off that fast from masturbating since he was barely a teenager, and he'd never come that hard before when he wasn't having intercourse.

What power did she have over him? Why did she turn him on so much? It was illogical and Jace refused to be controlled by his lust for her. Even though he'd told her they might meet again, he had no intention of making that happen now. He had no room in his life for an affair, especially with a woman who might be able to consume him if he didn't watch his step. He'd already been down that road once before and it led to nothing but trouble. He'd made promises to himself about how he'd conduct himself around women, how much trust he'd put in them as well as how close he'd allow them to get. His past was riddled with betrayals and he wasn't in any hurry to forget the lessons he'd learned quite bitterly.

The women he currently associated with on a personal level were all kept at a safe distance emotionally and psychologically. He'd share dinner, laughs and a bed with them but nothing more than that. Often they didn't even know what he really looked like, he had a face set aside for those meetings for discretion's sake. He preferred to come and go as he pleased; it was much easier to do when he was wearing a different appearance.

There were other things in his life that mattered more to him. Knowledge and magic had always been his strongest passions and while he'd been burned out by many of the events he had seen over the last several years, he still had a love of learning. He also held a position of incredible responsibility on Ravnica for the time being, one that took up most of his spare time and energy. He was content with his life for the moment, he didn't need anyone coming along and disrupting it. 

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	5. Chapter 5

A month later Lorissa was making her way to New Prahv to visit her mother, a high ranking advisor to Isperia. Salinda deCar had joined the Azorius Senate when she was just a teenager and had made her way up through the ranks over the years due to her shrewd judgments and calm deliberations under pressure. She was now one of only a handful of people who had the ear of the sphinx directly and wielded tremendous influence in her own right, but she had irreproachable scruples when it came to playing by the rules. She also tended to work well past normal hours, which was probably where Lorissa got her own work ethic from. Tonight Salinda had missed dinner yet again and Lorissa's father Nostav asked her to go and fetch her mother so they could have a family meal. He assumed, rightly, that feelings of motherly guilt would be more persuasive than wifely guilt.

As Lorissa turned a corner leading to the entrance of New Prahv, she was stunned to find herself nearly face to face with the man she had been alternately fantasizing and being furious about. Jace was leaving the building accompanied by two ladies. One of them she recognized as an associate of her mother's by the name of Lavinia. She was a tall, beautiful, serious woman known as a fierce arrester in Azorius. The other woman was an elf, ethereally lovely with long golden hair. Lorissa couldn't hold a candle to either of them and she felt a pang in her chest when she realized how comfortable Jace looked walking between the two women. He was dressed in his outlandish blue clothing with its unusual flashing insignia and he looked too handsome to be real.

He was engaged in deep conversation with the elf and hadn't noticed her, but Lavinia spotted her and called out a greeting, drawing his attention in Lorissa's direction. An almost comical expression of disbelief flashed over his face and he stopped speaking in midsentence. The elf glanced at him in surprise before turning to see what he was staring at. A bemused smile crossed her countenance and then she made a small remark to Jace that drew his gaze back to her, his features now carefully blank.

Given the choice, Lorissa would have turned and run but to do so would have been terribly rude after Lavinia had greeted her. She was not about to slight a compatriot of her mother. So she fought down the urge to flee and pasted on a smile.

"Lorissa what are you doing over here? I thought you spent all of your time poring over tomes for that mad dragon you call liege," the arrester teased her, drawing startled looks from her companions, who were only used to seeing the more serious side of the woman.

"Funny milady," Lorissa retorted. "I'm here to collect my mother. Father is pining away for her while she slaves over plans for your own illustrious taskmaster lord."

Lavinia smiled broadly at her, waving her companions to go ahead of her. Jace and the elf moved a polite distance away to wait, the woman clearly fascinated by their exchange but Jace deliberately looking in another direction. "So he sent you rather than trying to oust Salinda himself? A wise man."

Lorissa shrugged. "You know he prefers strategizing on a battlefield to trading wits. And too he said it would be harder for mother to tell me no. I haven't had dinner with them in weeks."

Lavinia laughed and nodded. "That would do it. Tell Salinda I will see her in the morning. Give my regards to your father."

"I will," Lorissa replied as Lavinia rejoined her companions. The three of them continued on their way, Jace not bothering to look back or acknowledge he knew her.

For a moment blind rage roared through her. How dare he act like such a cad? But then she reminded herself they were strangers who had nothing more between them than a one night stand. She'd given up on ever seeing him again weeks ago. He knew where she was employed but she had no way of finding him. Clearly he hadn't wanted to see her since he'd never bothered visiting. Her life was back to its normal peaceful self and that was the way she needed it for now. If she ever wanted to move up in the Izzet League she had to devote herself completely to her work.

She had joined the League because she wished to make a name for herself by her own merit. Science and magic had always fascinated her and the Izzet combined both. Although they were certainly known to the Magewrights, neither of her parents had any influence in the guild, which had been the deciding factor for Lorissa's wish to join. She had put in time and dedication with a vengeance and she had already gained the notice of a few high rankings wizards as well as the Dracogenius himself on occasion. She still had no idea why the dragon sought her out to make small talk late at night, other than it amused him to listen to mortal woes as a way of distracting himself from his own issues. She loved working in the library but suspected assisting with projects in any of the labs in Nivix would be equally enjoyable.

She had no time for men in her life.

* * *

Jace was supposed to be telling Emmara about his opinion of the latest Selesnyan conservation effort in conjunction with the Gruul, but his train of thought had been completely derailed by the unexpected appearance of Lorissa. It had taken a concerted effort on his part to put the woman from his mind over the past month, even with the seemingly endless string of issues he had to deal with concerning the guilds. He hadn't been completely successful as she still managed to appear in his dreams with alarming frequency.

He hadn't counted upon ever seeing her again, so he wasn't even remotely capable of hiding his reaction when he looked up and saw her outside of New Prahv. He would never have expected to run across her in such a place, considering she was a member of the Izzet League. However her conversation with Lavinia let him know her mother was a very influential member of the Azorius Senate since the arrester called her by name and in light of that news it wasn't so surprising to see her there. That still didn't make it any easier for him.

All his endeavors to banish her from his thoughts were ruined in a heartbeat. That one look at her had made several things obvious. First, compared to Emmara she was merely pretty with her dark hair and eyes and delicate curves. Second, that clearly didn't matter because he got aroused the very instant he laid eyes on her. Third, he wasn't going to be able to get her out of his head for the rest of the evening and because of that he was fairly certain he'd make bad judgments. He was going to have to reschedule his meetings for the following day.

It didn't make matters any better that he'd seen her again while he was with Emmara. He'd had deep feelings for the elf in the past and while she'd loved another and Jace had even wiped her mind at her request, some of those emotions remained. His initial shock upon seeing Lorissa had been tinged with panic, he didn't want the two women meeting for reasons he didn't care to examine too closely. Unfortunately the elf had taken note of his reaction to the girl and teasingly told him, "So you _are_ aware of the opposite sex. It's been so long since I've seen you react to a woman, I'd begun to wonder." 

He'd immediately schooled his face into a neutral expression and told Emmara that he knew the brunette through Niv-Mizzet so he was startled to see her at New Prahv. The blonde had given him a look that said she didn't really believe him, so he was compelled to ignore Lorissa's presence to allay suspicion. It had been quite difficult not to look at her again; his body was humming with awareness at her proximity. He could smell her from where he was standing and it was excruciating trying to fight off an erection. In the end he only half succeeded, so he was forced to draw his cloak forward over his shoulders to hide the evidence of his desire. That was twice now she'd made such an action necessary, one for each meeting. His inability to control himself only served as a reminder of why he'd decided to avoid her in the first place. 

Once Lavinia rejoined them, Jace escorted the ladies off the Senate grounds; every step he took in the opposite direction of Lorissa had his body shrieking at him to turn around and go get her. He ruthlessly ignored the compulsion. Lavinia took her leave of them and he accompanied Emmara back to Vitu-Ghazi. The entire time he wondered where Lorissa was at. Where did her parents live? Obviously her father wasn't a member of the Azorius Senate, the way Lorissa described him it sounded as if he might be part of the Boros Legion. How had her parents maintained a relationship being from different guilds and even allowed their daughter to join yet a third one?

Emmara made polite small talk but when they parted ways she placed a hand on his arm to draw his attention and said, "You should really go look her up."

Before he could protest, she was gone. He stood there for a moment, astonished she'd been able to read him so well when he'd been doing his best to be nonchalant. They had known one another a long time but he thought he'd been clever enough to disguise his preoccupied state. She was wrong of course, he shouldn't go after Lorissa. His life was complicated under normal circumstances, more so now that he was a sort of leader for the collective guilds. He had minimal spare time and even setting aside his busy schedule, the truth was he was a man who liked his freedom. He planeswalked at a moment's notice and too he had a legion of enemies that were a danger to everyone around him. He wasn't going to even think about his terrible luck with the ladies in general.

He had no time for women in his life.

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	6. Chapter 6

Lorissa was able to convince her mother to leave work with ease. Salinda's face broke into a smile the second she saw her only daughter enter the upper offices of New Prahv. They didn't get to see each other often since both were busy with work. After a quick greeting and exchange of hugs, the two women were on their way. As they departed many people called out greetings to her mother, who was popular due to her equally kind and fair nature. She responded with smiles and waves for even the lowest ranked members of the Senate. Salinda was telling Lorissa about her day, her face animated with excitement. Her mother was lucky enough to actually love her job and it showed.

The two were so deep in conversation as they made their way outside; neither of them saw Jace waiting in the shadows of the entrance to New Prahv. He was upon them before either woman knew it, grasping Lorissa's arm with one hand while simultaneously planting a suggestion into Salinda's mind to simply head home and wait for her daughter there. Lorissa jumped in surprise as he pulled her around into the gloom cast by the lead guard tower to face him and Salinda walked away, unaware of what was transpiring.

Lorissa was stunned to see him there. After their earlier encounter where he didn't bother to acknowledge her, she'd assumed he was out of her life. She'd assured herself it was for the better, she didn't need the attentions of a fickle man and her position in the League was growing steadily busier. She was distinctly confused to see him there now but she was determined to behave normally and with civility since they were on the doorstep of her mother's guild. "What are you doing here? If you're looking for Lavinia, she hasn't returned since she left with you. I'm certain she's gone for the day."

Jace had no idea what he was doing. Oh, he recognized he was there for Lorissa, but it went against everything he'd been telling himself for the past month. After he'd seen her today he'd convinced himself it was better to keep her out of his life and yet even as he came to that conclusion his feet had carried him back to where he knew she'd be. He was clearly at war with himself and he had no clue which side was going to win. To cover his confusion he tried to be suave. "I realize that, I just thought I should apologize for not greeting you earlier. I was here for business and thought it would be rude to socialize."

Yet Lavinia had stopped to do just that and they both knew it, the unspoken thought hanging on the air between them. It was a dismal attempt to cover his dismissal of her, but it was an apology nonetheless and she got the feeling he didn't ask for forgiveness often. Why was he even bothering to make the effort? He hadn't tried to see her since their initial tryst and she didn't delude herself into thinking she meant anything to him. She decided to downplay his current gesture. "Thanks but you needn't worry about it. It's not like we're friends. Now if you're finished, I really have to get going. My parents are expecting me for dinner and my mother is probably waiting for me around the corner."

Jace could have told her Salinda had left, but he was too irritated by her indifferent attitude. His hand burned where it held her arm; however she seemed completely oblivious to his touch. Unacceptable. He reached out with his other hand and tangled it in her hair, tilting her head back so her brown eyes met his blue ones, forcing her to hold his gaze. "I'm nowhere near through with you," he snapped, his breath fanning over her lips.

Jace prided himself on being oh so clever and in control, but he'd never been smart when it came to women. He was going to kiss her there, at the entrance to New Prahv, common sense be damned. She saw his intentions and tried to break free, but he was stronger, so she said, "What are you doing? We'll be seen!"

He gave a soft laugh and said, "Oh will we?"

Then he negligently waved his hand and the shadows around them seemed to thicken and advance, weaving a wall of darkness around them that would look like nothing out of the ordinary to a passerby. Lorissa's eyes widened as she realized how much skill and power it would take to make such an effective illusion. He'd created it without batting an eye, he was far more powerful than she'd realized. It shouldn't have surprised her, since Niv-Mizzet had been willing to give the man a spell from the vault. She just hadn't given any thought to the matter because she'd been so distracted by her attraction to him. There were many dangerous beings in Ravnica and she found herself wondering if she shouldn't see him again for her safety as well as her peace of mind. Then he kissed her and all thoughts were lost.

It was so good, far better than he remembered, the taste and texture of her intoxicating. Fire flooded his body, it made him want to tear off her clothes and slide inside her. He'd been partially aroused since he'd seen her and now he grew painfully erect. Kissing was by nature a gratifying undertaking, stimulating in a subtle way. He normally took his time with it, reading his partner's mind to see what they liked and then catering to their desires. He couldn't focus enough to do that now, all he could think about was how sweet she was and how every stroke of his tongue over hers made need race through his veins.

Lorissa's arms twined around Jace's neck as she leaned into him, completely overcome by that initial drugging kiss, her breasts tingling as they pressed against him. He knew how to use his mouth and tongue so very well and she couldn't remember a single reason why this was probably a terrible mistake. Not when that mouth brought her such delicious satisfaction, she wanted to feel it on more than her mouth, wanted it feathering over her skin and lapping at her clit. She sighed as the imagery flitted through her mind, bringing with it a stinging ache between her legs.

He recognized the gesture as an acquiescence and stepped back further into the shade of the enormous entryway until his back connected with a pillar. He tightened his arms around her, drawing her so close that her breasts were crushed into his chest and they could feel the thundering of one another's hearts. The abrasion to her nipples incited her, fluid trickling down her inner thighs. He lifted her up so they were eye to eye, loving the way he could so easily move her around, her tiny frame making him feel overtly masculine and protective at the same time. He slid a palm down her back and pressed her hips into his so she could feel his hard on. Her eyelids slipped lower and she rubbed herself against him, biting her lip at the erotic pleasure the motion caused. He felt visceral lust tear at him at her sensual display, her responses so sexual they triggered an unruly hunger in him. He wanted to try everything he knew and things he'd only dreamed of with her, wanted her to let him take her over and over in every imaginable way. 

They stared at one another under the cover of the shadows and his illusion, both of them knowing how precariously close they were to losing control. The proper thing to do would be stop this now before things went any further but neither one of them moved. The silence stretched out between them, every second that passed the tension rose. He was throbbing against her but he didn't move, arguing with himself that he had to put an end to this and get the hell out of there. She was thinking that this guy hadn't bothered to talk to her for weeks and now she was just falling into his arms. Didn't she have any self respect? Was she really that easy?

Jace shifted his hips to get more support from the pillar behind him and that proved to be the breaking point for them as it rocked his erection against her pubic bone in an identical gesture to the one she'd performed before. The delicious sensation that passed through them both overrode any lingering common sense or caution. They kissed again, this time with absolute abandon, mouths slanting and tongues dancing as her legs came up to wrap around his waist. He slipped an arm under her ass and cupped one side to support her weight so she'd be more comfortable. Lorissa ran her hand down his chest and then thumped on the armor. "I want to _feel_ you."

He let out a shaky laugh at her passionate demand, but before he could speak she reached down between their bodies, under the sash on his belt and dragged her fingers up the straining length of his shaft. Her touch was electrifying, even with his clothes on. She pressed hard against the base of his cock and stroked him again, the material rough against his skin but in no way detracting from how damn good it felt. The air left his body in a rush, whistling out between his clenched teeth. She put her lips to his ear and said, "Give it to me," in such a voice of longing he felt it in his balls. She didn't have to tell him twice.

Jace ripped at his belt and unfastened his pants, she flipped her skirt aside and reached forward to adjust her panties and then she was guiding him into her welcoming heat. The reality of her was too good after fantasizing about it for weeks, he thrust up into the sleek, wet passage with a total lack of discipline, his head flinging back from the pleasure of it, smacking into the stone pillar with enough force to probably give him a killer headache later. Right now he could care less. The only thing that had his attention was reaching mutual satisfaction as she started riding up and down on his dick. 

Lorissa grabbed his hair and pulled his face to hers, nipping at his lips until he opened to her, slipping her tongue into his mouth in a rhythm that matched the one he set with his hips. He moved with utter urgency, pushing into her hard and fast, one arm cinched around her waist so he could get into her up to the balls. She moaned into his mouth and he swallowed the sound, starving for her in a way that sent him careening into madness. She was just as frenzied in her need, her nails biting into his scalp and the back of his neck, her pussy clenching around him so tightly he was almost blind from the pleasure as she came for the first time. 

It wasn't enough, he had a hollow ache that shrieked at him to move _harder,_ he had to have more leverage so he sank down to the ground until she was sitting on his lap. One of these times they were going to have to do this in a bed, he thought. There was no way either of them would be comfortable being on the bottom on the stone floors outside of New Prahv. Then the thought was gone as he wrapped both arms around her waist and held her hips in place as he lunged up into her, sending her into a second orgasm that had her screaming in his ear. There was something bad about that, but he couldn't remember what it was and he didn't really care. He was drowning in sensation, every stroke of his cock seemed to make her wetter and hotter and his own body was growing tight as his climax approached.

Lorissa was submerged in the waves of her orgasm, the friction of his dick inside her so good she knew she'd get off again soon. Everything about him turned her on: his fingers bit into her skin, his muscles in his thighs bunched up beneath her, his breath fanning the side of her face as he thrust into her again and again. He seemed tireless in his efforts to satisfy her and she delighted in every action he took. Already she could feel the ache building in her pussy, she started moving against him restlessly and he was so attuned to her responses that he sensed her rising need.

"Come baby," he growled in her ear, she gave a little pant and then he felt her teeth bite into his neck. The unexpected jolt of pleasure and pain made him ram up into her and he felt her body convulse with her release, cinching around him so hard his eyes rolled back at the ecstasy, sending him hurtling after her into his own mind numbing orgasm.

Jace slumped back against the pillar, aware of the sting of sweat in his eyes and the back of his head where he'd hit it earlier. His pants were around his ankles and there were rocks on the ground biting into the backs of his thighs and his butt. He was roasting inside his chest armor, the exertion causing him to radiate heat. None of it mattered; he was sated to the point of lethargy. But even as his body sang its bliss his brain was yelling at him for sleeping with her again. He forced himself to open his eyes when he felt her shift to slide off his lap.

Lorissa was still fully clothed, her skirt bunched around her waist and her panties twisted to one side. Her slender thighs were glistening with the combined fluid from their intercourse and even as he watched she used the edge of a skirt to wipe herself off. Just behind her he could see the outline of the illusionary shadows he'd cast and he realized at some point during sex his focus had slipped and the illusion had almost vanished. As it was, they would be seen by anyone looking in their direction, although any onlookers wouldn't be able to distinguish features. And he was certain he hadn't thought to dampen sound in the area so anyone could have heard her get off. He shook his head in disgust at himself; it wasn't like him to be so careless. She really did make him act like a fool, but he was angrier with himself for allowing it.

"That was..." Jace paused, searching for the right words.

Unbelievable and unforgettable were two Lorissa would choose to say herself. Her thighs and back were sore from the strength of his body, her clothes a wreck and her hair a snarled mass but she didn't care. She felt amazing. He might be an arrogant jerk but he knew how to rock her world. She wasn't ready to overlook his previous callous behavior but she was well on her way to considering it.

"Unforgiveable," he went on, utterly ruining any beneficent thoughts she was having. "I had no intention of that happening, I apologize."

And then he was gone, just blinked out of there without another word. It was the second time he'd done that to her. He raised the bar on running away.


	7. Chapter 7

Six weeks later, Lorissa's life was anything but boring. She'd gotten an indirect promotion in the guild. Her frequent visits from Niv-Mizzet had drawn the attention of higher ranking mages in the League and as a result one had offered her a position in his lab. The work was part time and mostly consisted of her fetching items needed for experiments. But Tabozav was an archmage so he could have told her to clean his house and she might have done it. A position as his assistant was an incredible promotion, even if she was only helping half the day and doing menial tasks.

Her evenings were still spent in the library, and the Firemind still had an unsettling habit of popping in on her. She was convinced he only visited her because he knew it made her uneasy. That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy his company. He was, of course, the most brilliant being she'd ever spoken to and the conversations they had were always enlightening. But she was more interested in the sheer number of stories he'd accrued over the centuries. She probably appealed to the dragon's vanity with her endless requests for tales from his past, but any being that had been around over fifteen thousand years was definitely worth pestering for information. She had always been fascinated by history and he had an almost endless supply of it.

Unfortunately he always had questions for her as well and they usually had to do with her personal life. He asked about her family, friends, boyfriends. Two out of three she could tell him about, albeit reluctantly. He was quite intrigued by the fact that her relatives were members of so many different guilds. As usual she had no boyfriend to speak of so that subject was quickly exhausted every time he brought it up. She had no idea why he wanted to know about her life, unless it was to simply hear about a human's activities. The dragon was a researcher first and foremost; she'd never understand how his ancient mind worked.

It was rather embarrassing having to admit she was still single. She wasn't even getting laid on a frequent basis. She hadn't been with anyone since the disastrous, mind blowing quickie with Jace at New Prahv. He had once again vanished and she was mad enough at him that she didn't even care. He was such a selfish bastard, showing up to take what he wanted and then making her feel terrible for giving it to him. He'd had the gall to tell her what they'd done was unacceptable, after the fact of course. Thinking about it still made her want to hit him in the face. If she never saw him again it wouldn't hurt her feelings at all.

None of this changed the fact he was still the most magnetic, sexy man she'd ever met in her life and he gave her pleasure unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. Part of her was worried if she saw him she'd forgive him the minute he touched her. After all it had happened once already. Granted her list of grievances with him had been shorter but she really shouldn't have just fallen into his arms last time. Besides the obvious disaster at the end of the encounter with him, she'd been late for dinner and her parents had grilled her about her tardy appearance. Her mother had no memory of seeing Jace outside of New Prahv which Lorissa found distinctly odd. Telling the truth was out of the question, but she made her lie as close to it as possible, saying she ran into someone she knew on the street and lost track of time.

The only good thing about the rendezvous, besides the fantastic sex of course, was no one had seen them. The illusion he'd cast had more or less disintegrated by the time they finished and it was an incredible stroke of luck they hadn't been spotted by anyone. Well as far as she knew. She wasn't a member of the Senate but she realized if anyone had seen them the news would have reached her mother's ears and Salinda would have definitely torn into her about it. As an only girl she'd been raised with some pretty strict guidelines. To be fair she usually followed them, it was just Jace who seemed to be able to make her so insensate. And if her mother knew, her brothers would too. She could just imagine the wrath of the cleric twins. They could lay on the guilt as well as her mother and with a good deal harsher language. She didn't even want to consider what her father would do. The Boros guildmage would probably take to the streets searching for Jace. 

Thinking of her brothers reminded her that she was supposed to meet up with Peyrn and Pardic to go over plans for her parents’ upcoming anniversary. She finished her filing in the library and charted out her list of chores to do for Tabozav in the morning before heading over to the Church of Deals. She decided to stop by her place and feed Nix in case planning with her brothers ran late. It seemed likely if only because they often got stuck at work, which was why she was meeting them there in the first place. The Pride lion was overjoyed to see her as usual, and during their normal play session he accidentally tore her skirt so she changed out of her work clothes into a dress. At work she liked to look conservative in order to be taken seriously, but on her own time she looked much more feminine. This dress was a vibrant blue and had a sweetheart neckline held up by delicate spaghetti straps with an empire waist that accented her tiny size. The skirt fell to the knee in a perfectly proper fashion, but the material was translucent enough to show a dim outline of her legs. She slid on a pair of pretty wedge sandals that tied around her ankles with ribbons and then set off to meet her brothers. 

When she got to the church she was greeted by a friend of Pardic who was nice enough to escort her to where her brothers were standing guard that night. The two big blond men grinned when they saw her approaching; Pardic exchanged pleasantries with his coworker while Peyrn crushed her in a bear hug.

"Little sister you clean up nice," he teased her.

Lorissa beamed at him before swatting his cheek. "Is this your way of trying to butter me up before giving me bad news?"

"The champion's meeting is running late," Pardic said as he gave her a hug of greeting as well.

"Lucky for you I figured something like this would happen," she replied, digging a notepad out of the purse she was carrying. "Let's go over a list of locations for the party."

The two men exchanged pained glances but there was no way she was going to let them out of helping her with the planning. She forced them to drag a small table over by the entryway they were posted at, then sat down at it and began making lists of people to invite, food to order and gift ideas. The twins contributed more than she thought they would, but they were bored guarding the door to the inner sanctum chamber and grateful for the distraction. A couple of hours had passed when that same door swung open and Teysa Karlov walked out. Peyrn and Pardic snapped to attention immediately, but she waved at them to stand down and turned to look at Lorissa.

"I presume you know these two, or you never would have gotten this close to the door," Teysa said, referring to the fact that the twins were fearsome battle clerics more than capable of taking down a girl her size.

"They're my brothers," she answered, earning a smile from the other woman who was clearly amused how a tiny brunette could be related to the two towering blonds.

"Well they're off duty as of now," Teysa commented before continuing on her way out the door. "But they'll have to pay for the visit at some point."

It was only then that Lorissa got a look at the person exiting behind the Orzhov champion. He loomed out of the shadows as impossibly handsome as ever, dressed in his customary cape and armor, the sigils gleaming in the dim interior. He was studying a parchment in his hands and in spite of her resolve to keep away from him she couldn't resist drinking in the sight of him while he was distracted. His broad shoulders made her knees weak, the way the chest plate conformed to his torso reminding her of the athletic shape underneath. The belt circling his narrow waist held up the sash that hid the instrument of her demise but she could still see it in her memory so she quickly glanced down the length of his sleekly muscled legs. His tall, lean form made her fingers itch to touch every inch of him. She had to get out of there before he knew she was there. She returned her gaze to his face at the same time he looked up to check his surroundings.

His eyes locked on her and he came to a complete stop as he slowly lowered the paper he was holding. He didn't seem surprised to see her; instead his expression was almost resigned as if their meeting was inevitable.

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	8. Chapter 8

Jace was used to his share of action but his new role as Guildpact on Ravnica was turning out to be more than even he could handle. It seemed like there was a representative from the guilds under his feet every second of the day. He couldn't turn around without finding someone waiting to get his opinion about a life or death matter. It seemed like _everything_ was life or death.

He was normally a very private man who enjoyed solitude so he could work on creating new spells but at the moment he never had any time to himself. He hadn't had the opportunity to fully devote his attention to an experiment in weeks. As annoying as he found this fact, he was still divided about his election for the position. The power was certainly alluring, he was part of nearly every major decision the guilds made and they consistently consulted him before taking any actions. His ego was understandably enticed by that kind of influence. He also felt this was his penance in a way. He had done many terrible things in his young life and while he couldn't remember them all in part thanks to his own magic he knew he had much to make up for. Being forced to fairly mediate between the guilds was payback for the balance he owed. He also had allies and friends on Ravnica such as Emmara that he felt compelled to help.

Thinking of the blonde elf still made him somewhat sad but he had noticed lately that the feelings were far less intense and had more to do with the loss of her memory about their friendship. He hardly thought about the way he'd been distraught to discover she had a special someone in her life. Rather he remembered how disappointed she was he betrayed her by not telling her of his true nature. He assumed this change of feelings on his part was due to time passing and being too busy to dwell on things of a personal nature.

This wasn’t to say that Jace found himself free of thoughts of Lorissa. Memories of her plagued him at the most inconvenient times. One of the worst occurred during a meeting between him and Lavinia a week after the embarrassing loss of control he'd suffered from at New Prahv. They were congregating to look over plans for a new bill to be drafted regarding property entailment by the deceased. It was the first time he'd been back to the building since that day and as he approached the entrance his eyes were instantly drawn to the pillar where he'd dragged Lorissa to for their rendezvous. He was able to remember everything with startling clarity: the way she told him to give it to her echoing in his ears as he reached up to absently touch the spot on his neck where she'd bitten him after he'd told her to come. When he'd first gotten home and seen the bruise on his skin he'd been torn between being irritated over being branded and turned on by how forceful she'd been. The mark she'd left on him was starting to fade but the memory of it wasn't. He'd gotten an erection that had lasted through half his meeting with Lavinia to his chagrin.

That was when he decided he had to do something about the predicament he found himself in. He'd be damned if he was going to pine over some girl he barely knew. He was not going to let himself be controlled by desire. Certainly not lust over a woman who was not even close to being his equal in capability. She was a librarian for crying out loud. If he was going to get hung up on a female he'd rather it be someone like Liliana Vess. That had been understandable because she was as powerful as she was voluptuous. Any man could be brought to his knees by a woman like that. He wasn't going to be under the influence of a slender little girl most men wouldn't fall for at first glance. He had a reputation to maintain.

He'd seduced a few women to try and clear his head. He'd assumed indulging in sex would help erase her power over him. Unfortunately things hadn't gone as planned. His mind instinctively skipped those embarrassing recollections for the moment. After that he just immersed himself in projects to drive thoughts of her away. It seemed to be working quite well during the day; he was constantly going from one meeting to the next with various guild representatives so his mind had little time to wander.

The evenings were another story. Even though it was invariably late when he got home, he found himself wondering where Lorissa was instead of seeing to his own experiments. When he realized what he was doing he'd grow irritated with himself and plunge into the crafting of his memory storage phylactery. He'd finally managed to find all of the ingredients for a successful casting and was starting to painstakingly assemble the spell step by step. It was a sophisticated procedure that required absolute concentration; any distractions would result in failure. It was exhausting work and he could only complete small portions at a time. It had taken him weeks and he was about halfway through the process now.

This morning he'd set out a pile of ingredients he needed for the next stage of the spell before heading into the first of an endless series of meetings for the day. He hadn't planned on being out quite so long but his conference with the Orzhov ran late. It was well into the evening by the time business was finished up and he was reviewing a list of amendments to work on for the proposed entailment law when he thought he heard the sound of Lorissa's voice. Absurd. What would she be doing in the Church of Deals, let alone at this time of night? He had to be imagining things. Again. He was starting to think she never left his mind but just hovered in the background waiting for a lapse in his concentration. Then he caught the faintest scent that triggered a graphic memory of being buried deep inside her while her hair fluttered across his face and he knew. Jace raised his eyes from the forgotten list and stared at the woman who seemed to be haunting him.

Lorissa was just standing up when their eyes met. She'd obviously seen him first and he suspected she was in the process of running away when he spotted her. Given their history he decided that was wise of her. But then he got a look at what she was wearing and lost his train of thought. Before he'd only ever seen her in rather boring clothes that weren't particularly flattering. Now she was dressed in a wisp of a dark blue dress that made her skin glow and complimented the dainty lines of her body. She looked like a delicious little nymph, the skirt swirling around her thighs see through enough to get a glimpse of the shape of her curves without being too revealing. It was rather riveting actually, as if looking hard enough might show him the skin he was hoping to see. She had lovely legs and was wearing some frothy ribbon sandals that twined around trim ankles. Not so unremarkable after all. He felt his muscles tense as desire swirled through him, searing heat settling in his groin as he grew aroused.

Then he noticed the two lumbering blond men behind her scowling in his direction and managed to stop leering at her. He inclined his head at her in greeting, knowing to not acknowledge her would be suspicious after he'd just stared at her so long. "Good evening Lorissa."

She arched an eyebrow at him in disbelief. Just like that, huh? Then again her brothers were here and she could understand his desire for discretion. She definitely didn't want them to know about him. "Hello Jace," she gestured at the men behind her. "These are my brothers Peyrn and Pardic."

Of course her brothers were battle clerics for the Orzhov; it made as much sense as the rest of her family's odd guild memberships. It also explained why she was there. He felt like asking her how many relatives she had, and if the family had a member in every guild on Ravnica. He thought that might sound too rude though. He settled for nodding at the two men in greeting before turning back to Lorissa and saying, "Until next time then."

And he made himself walk around her. He could hardly do otherwise with her brothers there even though his body was entering a distinctly frustrated state. Walking down that hall away from her was incredibly grueling, which only further angered him. The last six weeks had been difficult enough, he wasn't about to let himself regress.

Lorissa watched him leave, torn between disappointment and relief. Her body was singing with awareness from that brief encounter with him. She could feel her breasts were swollen and was glad she'd chosen to wear such a dark colored dress which made that fact less obvious. Her eyes traced the movements of his hips as he walked, the cape swirling with each step, and remembered how skillfully he'd used those hips to bring them both to mutual pleasure. She almost fanned herself before she recalled she had an audience. What was she thinking? She had to forget about that man, he was not for her. She turned and gave her brothers a bright smile. "Shall we go home?"

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	9. Chapter 9

By the time Jace arrived at his house he was furious. He was disgusted with himself getting turned on by Lorissa so easily. She hadn't even done anything to make him this way; his body just seemed out of control around her. He was aching by this point, his cock throbbing in the confines of his pants. He'd hoped he could walk it off but that hadn't worked. It was like seeing her again after so many weeks had torn something open inside him. He craved her the second he saw her and his mind couldn't shut it off this time. He was so hard he was in pain. He rubbed his palm over his shaft, trying to ease the sting. He was going to have to get off. Well, he was not going to masturbate while thinking about her. He could manage that small a victory he told himself. He unfastened his pants, groaning as his dick leaped free of its restraints. He wrapped his hand around swollen flesh, hissing at the sharp sensation of pleasure even that light a touch brought forth. He closed his eyes and tried to picture Emmara, Liliana, anyone else but the only thing he could see was an image of him pushing Lorissa back down on that table she'd been standing by, flipping her skirt up and fucking her right there.

Cursing, he flung himself into the washing room, turning the cold water on full blast and jumping into the stream. He felt the power of his favored element washing over him, frigid and soothing at once, helping to calm his wild urges. He stayed under the freezing deluge until his teeth were chattering, until the agony of his arousal subsided. His clothes were drenched, another thing for him to be pissed about. At least his erection was gone. With a sigh he shut off the water, went into his bedroom and changed into a comfortable robe and pants.

He glanced at the door to his work room, trying to decide if he had the necessary focus for completing the next step of the spell. As he considered it, another image of Lorissa came to him, this time when he first saw her in Niv-Mizzet's library at the beginning of all this. Who could have known such an innocent would so easily disrupt his world?

* * *

Lorissa had a nice time visiting with her parents, especially since her brothers hadn't said a word to her about Jace although she had the feeling they wanted to. They probably didn't wish to bring anything up in front of their father, who was very protective of his little girl. Dinner was delicious as always, her father had quite a way with fire and he loved to cook. Salinda was only too happy to let Nostav do it since she was generally in charge of the kitchen. It was rare the five of them got to be together, so it was early morning before Lorissa found herself finally getting home. Nix was worn out; she'd stopped by to pick him up since she knew she'd be at her parents' house late. The great cat had been a present from them ostensibly, though she knew it really came from her mother. They'd given him to her when he was a cub, about the time she moved out on her own. He was a terrific deterrent to people on the street but that had been the point she was sure. She got Nix some fresh water, then took a quick shower and climbed into bed.

It had been a long day, she should have been exhausted. Instead she kept thinking about how hot Jace had looked at the Church of Deals. Every time she had just about got him out of her head, he showed up again. At this rate she was never going to get over the arrogant man. In the meantime she was going to have to do something about the hollow sensation between her legs. She slipped her panties off and slid her thumb over her clit, lightly stimulating it as she inserted a finger inside herself. She closed her eyes and thought about Jace, the way he looked, smelled and moved. Her abdomen clenched in desire and she added a second finger to the first, moving slowly initially but gradually increasing the pace as she remembered the way he pounded into her body every time he was inside her. His strength and skill were so damn sexy he drove her wild every time he took her. The lust in her skyrocketed, her body tightening, heat singeing her nerves as her nipples hardened and her passage flexed. Just recalling how he'd rode her back into the wall of the vault was enough to send her spinning into orgasm.

She'd touched herself while thinking about him before, but she'd never allowed herself to actually use his name. It just seemed too pathetic considering he had never wanted her in the frantic way she wanted him. But tonight she let herself indulge, moaning _Jace_ in the heat of the moment.

Miles away, he heard her mental cry of his name like the crack of a whip. It shattered his concentration, utterly ruining the culmination of the memory storage spell he'd been working on for weeks. At the moment he didn't care, he was instantly on fire because the way she'd panted out his name left no doubt what she was doing.

For weeks he had carefully avoided her, aware she was becoming an obsession. He wanted her with a passion that was consuming him and he couldn't allow it. He'd tried sleeping with a few women to get her out of his head and the results had been disastrous. One time he'd accidentally called a woman by her name, another time he hadn't been able to stay hard without closing his eyes and thinking about her. After that he'd opted for celibacy until the madness subsided. Unfortunately it lingered on, growing worse as time passed. Running into one another that evening had struck a devastating blow to the defenses he'd built up. Now, her call to him unleashed the desire he'd been fighting for what felt like an eternity.

He grasped onto the threads of her thoughts and followed them, racing out of his lab and across town at a reckless pace. He'd never been to her home but he found it with ease, however he was dismayed to find her front door was locked. He nearly put his foot through it before he recovered enough sanity to recall he could simply teleport inside. He thought he heard growling as he made his way through the living room but he didn't care, he kept moving forward until he was in her bedroom.

Lorissa was just winding down from the orgasm, her fingers lazily moving inside her, when Jace materialized by her bed as if conjured by her fantasies. He stared down at her with eyes so dark they were nearly black. She started to sit up, startled, but he shoved her hand out of the way, grabbed her by the hips and dragged her to the edge of the mattress. He dropped down to his knees between her thighs, leaned forward and licked up the length of her. He laved his tongue over her clit eliciting a gasp from her before drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it in a gentle rhythm. Her back arched, pushing her against his mouth as she moaned. The sound of it sang in his blood, the taste of her turning him on and he almost pulled away in his surprise. He'd done this for other partners before, but he'd never been aroused by it outside of their enjoyment. The scent of her arousal and the sweet fluids from her orgasm were deliciously inciting, his own excitement climbing as he tried to drink her up.

Jace was always good with his mouth and now was no exception she dimly realized. He knew how to perfectly suck while simultaneously rubbing his tongue over her clit, the double stimulation so intense she was breathless. She grabbed onto his hair just to enjoy the feel of his head moving between her legs, her other hand curling in the sheets. He watched her through his bangs, her sensuality hypnotizing. She was splayed out in wanton abandon, but he was slightly disappointed because she wasn't naked. She'd removed her panties to get off but she was wearing a tank top. She had beautifully shaped breasts, one of these days he was going to have them at leisure. He could see the outline of her nipples through the shirt, so it wasn't a total loss. He lapped at her clit with his tongue just to watch her arch into the air again, the movement a mirror image of what occurred during sex, and his cock bucked against the seam of his pants. He wanted _inside._

Lorissa sensed a change in his pace; his mouth grew urgent as it moved over her again and again. There was a rising tension in the hands that held her thighs, his fingers curving into her skin telegraphing his increasing desire. He was getting hot eating her out and that coupled with his skillful ministrations was enough to shatter her with a release that had her rearing up off the bed, her nails raking down his arms as the pleasure completely overwhelmed her.

Jace was on his feet in an instant, pulling at his pants, throwing his belt to the floor, the sound of her orgasm ringing in his ears driving him half mad. This time she was the one to slap his hands away as she freed his throbbing shaft, her mouth closing over him, drawing his dick inside as her tongue glided along his length. He groaned deep in his chest, hands tangling in her hair as her palms circled around to cup his butt and guide him into motion. He obediently moved, sliding in and out of that torturous mouth, head thrown back in bliss as heat and need poured over him. She sucked on him hard, drawing him deep, her teeth lightly scoring his skin as she stroked his balls. It was so good and he was ready to lose it already. He had been since he heard her masturbating while thinking of him.

He could taste her juices on his mouth as she pulled him inside to the balls and he knew he didn't want to get off without her. He stepped away and she blinked up at him until he pushed her onto her back and climbed onto the bed over her. He lowered down onto his elbows and knees, dipping his face between her thighs again as she drew his cock back into her mouth. It was the limit for both of them, each so turned on by the other that the mutual exchange of oral pleasure made them frenzied. She wrapped her legs around his arms and he drove his hips down on her, careful not to hurt one another even in their excited state. Mouths suckled, tongues lapped and hands caressed almost in tandem. The bed creaked in the background, barely heard over their panting sighs between the decadent cadence of their lips and the grinding motions of their hips. He slid a couple of fingers into her pussy, smiling as she clenched around them. Her hands clutched at his ass, urging him to thrust deeper into her mouth and he was only too happy to oblige. As he rocked against her lips he felt her tighten around his fingers and he realized she was turned on enough to come by sucking him off. He shuddered at the knowledge, pre cum leaking from his dick into her mouth and he felt her moan at the taste of him, shoving him dangerously close to the boundaries of his control. Tension soared through them; driving them to move faster, suck harder, strain against one another as their climaxes approached until at last they both exploded with satisfaction. Their hips writhed against one another's mouths, Lorissa swallowing down his cum with a sigh while Jace licked her pussy clean, his own breath coming out in ragged growls.

He almost fell on top of her in the aftermath, he'd come so hard he was nearly without strength. He rolled to one side of her, an arm thrown over his eyes, and tried to absorb the enormity of what he'd just done. Not only had he failed to keep his promise to himself to stay away from her, he'd practically broken into her house chasing the trail of her thoughts without her knowledge or permission.

Lorissa turned on her side to face him, hyper aware of the fact the man she'd been daydreaming about for months was actually here in her bed. How was the question. She'd never told him where she lived and for that matter, how had he even known she was home, let alone masturbating. "Jace, how did you-"

"Next time we do this slow," he muttered, cutting her off before she could get any further. "And naked."

"Next time," she demanded incredulously, but he was gone. The bastard had actually bounced out on her again! She shrieked and threw her pillow at the spot he'd just vacated. Moments later an answering roar came from her living room an instant before Nix crashed through her bedroom door, splintering the wood with ease. The cat's ears were pinned back; his mane bristled as he protectively lunged to her side. She had completely forgotten about her beloved pet.

"Some guard you turned out to be," she scolded him, wincing at how much it was going to cost her to replace that door. Then the ridiculousness of the situation set in and made her laugh, and as she reached down to scratch his ears in reassurance she saw the belt Jace had discarded earlier. It was the second one he'd left in her possession; she was starting to have a collection of them.


	10. Chapter 10

The following weeks passed by in a blur for Lorissa. Tabozav had initially hired her for his lab due to her seeming closeness with Niv-Mizzet but now he actually valued her opinion and work. He complimented her shrewd mind, but he did tend to bemoan her lack of magic in front of her face which could be disconcerting and annoying. She reminded herself that he was both powerful and dedicated to his craft, neither trait served to teach a person tact. The mage had been in a high ranking position long enough to develop an indifference about how he conducted himself since very few people in the League could actually take him to task. He asked her to assist him with increasingly intricate projects, sometimes even over other magic users. She took this as high praise, albeit unspoken. She was also learning a great deal about using the water and fire elements combined. Her father had used fire as far back as she could remember and her mother had used water so she had a solid understanding of the elements individually but not how to set up spells to entwine them since they were opposing forces. Although she couldn't use magic she could still do research on the subject and groundwork for those more talented.

She still worked in the library during the evenings, but Tabozav was keeping her later every week as he placed more trust in her. She probably could have switched out of her job as an archive but she genuinely enjoyed working hands on with the spells of the League. Most people would find the task tedious, but she had an appreciation for knowledge and history so for her sorting through the ancient writings was an enjoyable undertaking. She had seen everything from rat removal to life lengthening scrolls in the course of a single day. For her it was fascinating and she appreciated the fact she was able to peruse the spells at leisure.

Every now and then Niv-Mizzet stopped in for a late night talk. It was impossible to predict when the Dracogenius would visit, but on one occasion he remarked on the amount of time she'd been spending with Tabozav so he was aware of her whereabouts. This surprised her, as guildmaster she'd think he'd be too busy to notice the comings and goings of a low ranking member. She didn't think he cared, but assured him her work load was perfectly acceptable anyway. He still asked his invasive questions about her personal life, she still answered as evasively as possible. Not that it was hard to do; she basically had no personal life.

After Jace had disappeared on her for the third time, Lorissa'd decided she needed to start dating because she couldn't keep making such irrational decisions involving him all the time. If she was seeing someone he wouldn't be nearly as tempting. Well, he probably would but her morals would keep her in check. However actually meeting someone turned out to be a problem. For one thing, she more or less worked two jobs almost every day. For another, the people in her guild knew she had no magical talents and consequently had no interest in dating her. She wasn't unappealing but she didn't know how to act in a fashion that attracted men, so even when she tried going to local taverns to meet people she struck out. She had a very bad habit of wanting to discuss work, or things of a more serious nature in general and that seemed to put a lot of men off. She just couldn't force herself to discuss inane subjects, it bored her too much. Her father and brothers would rather murder any man who looked at her instead of setting her up and she wasn't even going to mention it to her mother, who would try to marry her off to the first suitable man she could find. 

She did have two very close friends that she could go out with, but they were both gorgeous and vivacious so she constantly got overlooked in their presence. Nataja was tall, blond and audacious. Aksara had long red hair; a body men would kill for and knew how to flirt money right out of their pockets. Compared to them she was frumpy and quiet, but she didn't mind really because she loved them dearly and they were such a blast to hang out with. It just didn't help further her goal. Unfortunately this all added up to her being alone, even after a few weeks of actively looking. Maybe she should just try a more direct approach, offer a man something less permanent but still serious enough to be a suitable deterrent from her jumping into bed with Jace again if their paths ever crossed.

Although truth be told if she did see him once more she was going to be too busy asking questions to be seduced by him. Hopefully. Lorissa still had no idea how he'd known where she lived, let alone how he'd gotten into her house without Nix detecting him. For that matter, how had he even known she was in the process of getting off? There was also his infuriating habit of vanishing, which was obviously teleportation magic. He had considerable power for someone his age, and she didn't like the fact she barely knew anything about him but had fallen into his arms on three separate occasions now. He had the potential to be extremely dangerous and was for all she knew. Her brothers seemed as if they knew something about him but they weren't talking so she had to assume the information was for Orzhov members only. She wouldn't trespass on that loyalty; the way her family managed to get along despite having four guilds represented in it was by respecting one another's boundaries. 

Of course it seemed unlikely she'd be seeing him anytime soon. It had been almost two months now and barring some unlikely event bringing him to Nivix she doubted they'd run into each other again. Enough time had passed that she was pretty certain they moved in different circles not only socially but location wise as well. Ravnica was quite large. She ignored the little voice pointing out he knew where to find her if he wanted to see her again. He knew where she worked and where she lived. She was already aware of the fact; she just preferred not to acknowledge it. No one liked rejection. She could hardly claim he'd used her because she'd received more satisfaction than he had; he'd literally gotten her off multiple times so she really had no room to complain. It wasn't like they had a relationship; they were basically strangers with a strong sexual connection. Although maybe not all that strong considering she hadn't heard from him. Better to just let it go, over thinking matters tended to do more harm than good.

This particular evening found Lorrisa doing research for a minor weird creation spell Tabozav was wanting to make improvements on. Something about the current make up was unstable enough to result in several of the creatures spontaneously evaporating into steam. She'd found a few texts on balancing the temperature of the fire element so he might be able to use it in the spell and the flame wouldn't reach a heat level capable of converting the liquid water to gas. It was tedious reading but she did feel bad for all the poofing weirds, they made horrible sounds when it happened. Thinking about their suffering was enough incentive to keep her on task, even though she was certain at this rate she wouldn't get home until almost daybreak. She sincerely hoped Tabozav wasn't expecting her to come in first thing in the morning.

After several hours of reading, her back was starting to get cramped so she stood and stretched to relieve the ache. It felt amazing and she let out a deep sigh as she started to sit back down. Unfortunately she'd been sitting still so long her legs were half asleep so when she bent over she lost her balance and she stumbled into the table. She watched in annoyance as the pile of papers with her notes went tumbling to the floor, scattering in every direction as they hit the ground. With a curse she crawled on hands and knees underneath the table and started scrambling to pick them up. This proved to be rather difficult since she was in her usual work outfit of skirt, blouse and heels. It would probably be more practical to wear pants, but since she'd decided to hunt down a man she was dressing a bit more feminine. Consequently her current outfit was a little more form fitting and short than she'd previously worn on the job, making moving around even more problematic. As it was, it felt like her skirt was riding up dangerously close to her panty line. Of course right then she heard the sound of approaching footsteps moments before a familiar voice sardonically said, "You realize that's considered an offer."

Naturally, she smacked her head on the bottom of the table. 

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	11. Chapter 11

Jace stared down at the missive he'd just received, frowning in puzzlement. The Dracogenius had requested he bring back the scroll which he'd borrowed from the Izzet League months before. He didn't have a problem returning it since he'd copied down everything he needed; he was just surprised the dragon had bothered to make such a demand. It wasn't like Niv-Mizzet to trouble himself with trivialities. The Memory Adept wondered if he was going to call in his favor already, but if that was the case the Firemind would have simply summoned him for that reason. Perhaps the dragon needed to track down the same ingredient for a spell of his own. It seemed highly unlikely, but that dragon's claws were in a thousand activities at once so it was possible.

At any rate, he wasn't thrilled with the request for any number of reasons. He was a busy man these days and couldn't really spare the time for fulfilling such menial chores. He could have someone else return the scroll but Niv-Mizzet had specifically mandated he deliver the item personally. The dragon's arrogance was annoying in the extreme, but he did respect the Izzet League's parun for his intelligence and knowledge so he tolerated it as best he could. He wouldn't alienate such a valuable source of information lightly. He pulled out a parchment outlining his activities for the day and discovered he didn't have any time available until the evening. He was being slowly buried under the duties of the Guildpact. While he appreciated the power that came with the position he found the daily requirements wearisome in the extreme.

As he penned a note to himself to stop at Nivix later on, the second and more significant reason he didn't want to go to the Magewright headquarters flitted through his thoughts. He hadn't seen Lorissa since the night he performed breaking and entering on her house and body. His gross abuse of his power had turned his stomach; he had struggled for some time to govern his abilities in a way that was morally acceptable in an effort to atone for his past. He was ashamed of what he had done to her that night. It didn't matter that she'd received a great deal of pleasure at his hands, the fact remained he had violated her privacy. He had a terrible feeling he would do it again in a heartbeat, despite how often he chastised himself over his lack of control. She brought out something reckless in him; he couldn't afford to have that happening right now. He simply had too many responsibilities, too many people whose lives depended on his ability to think and act sensibly.

There was also his own pride to consider. He was normally a very controlled, rational man and he'd worked hard to become that way. Not so long ago he routinely took unnecessary risks for self gratification, thinking that he was clever enough to escape recriminations. Time and torture had eventually taught him otherwise, he had no wish to regress to behavior from the days of his youth. The simplest way to resist temptation was to avoid it. So far that hadn't been necessary, Ravnica was a large plane and he hadn't run into her since that night. Even with her seemingly endless number of relatives in what appeared to be nearly every guild in existence, the chances of her being in the same place he was were slim. Unless of course he happened to go to the guild she belonged to, which is why he'd avoided Nivix the last several weeks, sending messengers in his place when communication with the dragon was obligatory. 

A personal summons for the return of the spell made that impossible in this instance. Just knowing he'd be in the same building she worked in was enough to send a spike of raw lust surging through his veins. He clenched his teeth in irritation, his inability to govern his body an issue of contention for him. He took exception with the fact she turned him into some kind of mindless sex slave, in particular since she wasn't even trying to do it. He seriously considered arranging a meeting with one of his sporadic lovers before going to the aerie. One of the ways he'd been avoiding temptation was to hook up when the urge to go to Lorissa's home came over him. He wasn't proud of the necessity but he also wasn't an idiot. It was a biological fact that the sexual needs of men were rapacious and historically speaking often got one into trouble. His method of dealing with this was to satiate the urge as close to reality as possible. It wasn't too difficult, once he figured out the reason he'd failed to stay aroused with other women he was able to fix the problem. Being a master illusionist, he simply made them into Lorissa for all intents and purposes. They looked, sounded, smelled and even tasted like her by the time he was finished constructing the illusion. And if some part of his brain insisted he knew the difference, he simply ignored it. Such encounters generally left him sated enough, even if there was a hollow edge to it. 

Unfortunately he had no breaks in his time between meetings today, certainly not one long enough to indulge in a bout of intercourse. He might be able to get off quite quickly when the mood struck him, but it wasn't in his nature to leave a lady high and dry, particularly if he was using her to substitute for the one he really wanted. He'd end up feeling guilty. He'd just have to rough it out. It wasn't as if Lorissa would be there late at night anyway, most members of the guilds left by early evening. Just then someone knocked on his study door, and he looked up to see the mage he'd hired as an assistant walking in with another pile of documents. With a sigh, he turned his focus back to work.

The rest of his day passed by in a blur of reading over papers, mediating arguments between numerous guilds, and trying to come up with a system where he didn't have to handle so many of the duties himself. He was almost literally dragging ass by the time his last appointment was over when his assistant reminded him he had penned in a notation to go see Niv-Mizzet. His initial reaction was to refuse, he was exhausted and in no mood to deal with the dragon, who found it amusing to make jokes out of the strangest things. In the end, he simply went because he wanted to get the matter over with and because it was such an advanced hour in the day he was certain Lorissa would have left Nivix by now. 

Even so, he was aware of a building excitement within him as he approached the Izzet League's guild hall. His body thrummed with nervous energy, he felt like an adolescent with his first crush and it was highly annoying. He tamped down the ridiculous responses as best he could as he made his way to the top of Nivix. When he presented himself at the dragon's personal residence in the aerie with spell in hand, he was in an impatient mood, eager to be away from this place that made him think of her against his will. The dragon was reading from a large tome and nodded in his direction as he approached.

"Good evening," he said without bothering to take his gaze off what he was reading. "You brought the spell?"

Annoyance surged through Jace but he fought it down enough so his tone was still nonchalant as he held it up and said, "Yes, here it is."

"Excellent," the Dracogenius murmured. "Would you mind taking it down to the vault? I'm in the middle of studying for an incantation at the moment and don't want to lose my focus." 

Typical of a dragon to assume no one's time was as valuable as their own. Jace couldn't hold on to this thought for long because his mind was too busy pointing out to him the one and only time he'd gone to the vault, he'd had sex with Lorissa in it. He shook his head in frustration. Why couldn't he rid himself of her? His voice came out rife with his aggravation. "Fine, anything else you want, dragon?"

His words and something in his tone finally drew Niv-Mizzet's eyes to his. In his lair the dragon tended to wear his true form, and now he glanced down at the man from a considerable height, expression distinctly amused. "No, _boy_ , that will be all."

The mind mage supposed he deserved that bit of teasing for his own rudeness, but he was still muttering to himself as he left the aerie. Nivix was practically deserted this late at night. He saw the occasional light on in a lab, probably belonging to some overzealous mage who'd lost track of the time working on an experiment. He was guilty of doing the same thing himself a time or two. Even so, he was surprised to find the library still illuminated because at first glance it looked like no one was there. Then he heard the sound of books and papers hitting the floor and moved in the direction of the commotion.

When Jace walked into the area the noise had issued from, Lorissa was on her hands and knees underneath a table with her ass in the air. He paused midstride, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. The view was quite nice. Enough that he actually forgot he wanted to avoid her at all costs. Which is why he pointed out she was making him an offer. He just didn't mention how tempted he was.

* * *

From his lair far above the library, the Firemind watched the scene through a scrying orb. "You'd better not mess it up this time, fool," the dragon grumbled at the image of the Memory Adept, before shutting off the device to give them privacy.

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	12. Chapter 12

Jace watched Lorissa crawl out from underneath the table with a sense of inevitability. All the work he'd done to put her from his mind for the past few weeks was now pointless. Seeing her in the flesh managed to quash every good intention he had, his cautions to himself banished behind the primitive reactions she brought out of him every time he laid eyes on her. The skirt she was wearing rode up high on her legs, it wasn't a stretch to imagine it slipping a fraction higher and revealing her panties. As she spun around on her knees to face him, he got a perfect view down her silky blouse at her breasts in what looked like a metallic purple bra. He sighed to himself as he got an erection in her presence yet again. Why bother fighting it at all? It seemed like a waste of energy.

Lorissa stared up at him, acutely aware how stupid she'd looked hitting her head under the table. Being forced to clamber out to face him was only slightly less humiliating, so her voice was waspish as she snapped, "What are you doing here?"

She didn't recant her earlier thoughts that he'd never bothered to see her, his presence here might indicate she was mistaken but it didn't even occur to her. Too much time had passed for that, she was pragmatic enough to realize he was there for something else.

Jace knew what she was thinking without even reading her mind. The atmosphere grew even more awkward if possible. It was true he'd known where to find her, also true he hadn't come looking. The last time they'd seen one another was when he'd done a hit and run on her. He silently threatened Niv-Mizzet's head with fiery doom. Well, at least she hadn't brought anything embarrassing up. "Returning the scroll I borrowed from Niv-Mizzet. Why are you here this time of night?"

Lorissa wobbled to her feet, muttering under her breath about the instability of heels. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm working on a spell for a mage."

He titled his head to one side, puzzled. "Can you cast magic?"

He already knew she couldn't but he shouldn't know that information as far as she was concerned and he didn't want to have her start asking questions. He was also genuinely curious how she had gotten the position without having any power. He could always read her mind, but he was loathe to do that to her. The Dracogenius wasn't all that big on charity and tended to do things for his own benefit. Jace couldn't see the advantage to accepting a person incapable of casting the most mundane spells.

"Again, not your business," she replied, and with that for an answer he couldn't exactly find out any further information. 

He couldn't blame her for her hostility; things were definitely bizarre and strained between them from the first time they met. Her dismissive attitude made him angry however and to his surprise a little hurt as well. He had no right to feel that way; he was the one who'd chosen to stay away. Unfortunately emotional responses were messy at best, which was why he preferred logic. He held up his hand in a placating gesture. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"Is that all you do, apologize? I'm sick of your apologies," she snarled at him, finally meeting his gaze, her eyes snapping with anger. "Oh, I forget you're also fond of running away."

Her fury sparked his own, months of resentment coming to the fore. She'd cost him his peace of mind and had the temerity to criticize him. He took a step forward and in his irritation forgot to reign himself in, his eyes beginning to glow with power. "Perhaps if you'd stay out of my head, there'd be nothing to apologize for or run from."

Lorissa frowned in confusion, not sure what he meant, distracted by the blazing hue of his eyes, wondering if she should be afraid. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if you think I used some sort of spell on you then you're wrong. I can't cast magic, though that's not something I like admitting to." 

There was the in he'd been looking for so he could question her; he ignored it now, too focused on his anger and her obliviousness. "I think nothing of the sort and I can't believe you're so obtuse."

Before she could infuriate him any further by asking what he meant, he took two long strides to close the gap between them and kissed her. It wasn't a nice gesture, full of spite and umbrage, a demonstration of his dislike for the influence she had over him. Despite that it also contained passion and desire, the longer it went on the faster the anger was consumed by the lust. It was a fatal miscalculation to have touched her, he dimly realized, aware of a fierce exultation sweeping over him. As his will sank beneath his hunger, he vaguely suspected his own body had betrayed him into doing just that, knowing he'd be unable to withstand holding her again.

Lorissa was utterly bewildered at this point. In the last five minutes she'd experienced a gamut of emotions. There'd been shock over his abrupt appearance, embarrassment over her compromising position, anger that he'd never contacted her in the last few weeks and yet had the nerve to speak to her as if nothing were amiss, confusion when it turned out he was angry with her, and now to top it all off he was kissing her. The man was walking chaos, utterly mystifying. If she had any sense at all she'd turn and run this very instant. Only, her body wasn't cooperating with her. Even as her mind shrieked a protest, her mouth opened under his with eagerness. The gesture of assent seemed to light a fire in him, suddenly his hands were all over her body and he was pressing her back against the edge of the table. The more he touched her, the less her brain was willing to put up a struggle, and in mere seconds all thought of resistance vanished.

Jace was tired of settling for whatever was on hand. He wanted her in his bed, where he'd been picturing her for months, sometimes literally with his illusions over the faces of other women. "My house," he growled, and she nodded at him in a daze, thinking he was seeking her consent. She let out a yelp a moment later when the teleportation spell he'd activated carried them from the library to his threshold in the blink of an eye.

His residence was in a very wealthy section of Ravnica, the exterior gilded and extravagant, soaring up for several stories in marbled splendor. The doors he kicked open were an earthen tone of metal bearing intricate symbols that had to have taken hours to carve. He hauled her into a wide foyer complete with crystalline chandelier and while he shut the doors behind them she glanced ahead to where a few steps led up to an elevated front room. The furnishings looked opulent even from a distance, done in cool tones of blue and black. A hand at her back propelled her forward, and as they gained the stairs that same hand suddenly anchored onto her hip, dragging her down to the floor so her knees were at the foot of the steps and her palms at the top.

Jace dropped to his knees behind her and pushed up her skirt, muttering, "I've wanted to do that since I saw you under the table."

Purple panties greeted his avid stare before he slid them aside and stroked one finger deep inside her pussy. She was already drenched from their brief kiss and his stomach clenched with need. "You're always ready for me," he groaned in a guttural voice. Just like he was always ready for her, his cock raging hard, but he kept that revelation to himself since it seemed redundant at this point. Lorissa moaned at the penetration, the sound sent him into a frenzy of excitement and he added another finger inside her before thrusting hard and fast. She let out a gasp of surprise before she began rocking back into his hand, and he reveled in her passion, getting her off right there in the entryway while he watched with hot eyes, the feel of her clenching around his fingers making him grind his teeth in pure longing. As he felt the last of her contractions end, he pulled her underwear down as he freed his dick from his pants. He pushed his cock in to the hilt of that wet pussy, shuddering as her tight heat enveloped him. Then he was bucking into her like a beast, leaning down to run his teeth over the side of her neck, his fingers digging into her hips hard enough to leave bruises. He was rough, almost incapable of gentleness, so consumed with the ecstasy of moving inside her that he was lost to reason. She met his every movement with blind delirium, the stairs biting into her palms as she pushed back to take in all of him.

The pace was frantic, their bodies starved for one another after so many months, the need so intense it burned. Normally Jace put her satisfaction first but this time he couldn't fight down his own passion. He was thrusting on instinct, his dick throbbing, his own senses lost in fervor, driven willingly by a frightening urge to make her his. No matter how many times he shoved his cock inside her, he couldn't get enough. He wanted more, had to have every last inch of her shuddering around him and under him and over him. He moved faster, desperate now, completely given over to his desire for her, every thrust sending searing pleasure rippling along his spine and throughout his frame. His wildness called to something equally feral in Lorissa, her breath hissing out of her in moans as she easily climaxed once, twice, a third time to the violent force of his hips in a matter of minutes. The way he took her, so full of wanton lust, excited her like nothing else. And always she seemed to want more too, her body clinging to his, pulling him into her pussy deeper with every orgasm. He was torn apart by the pleasure of it, the exquisite pulsing of her body tearing a roar from his chest as he came.

He barely caught himself in time as he collapsed, dodging to the side so they only partially clipped the stairs, slipping out of her in the process. They landed in a heap half on the floor half on each other, her sprawled across his chest so they were nose to nose. For long seconds they just remained that way, each aware that words seemed to be the enemy. Their knees hurt, they were covered in sweat, their chests heaving from exertion and yet they were experiencing the most acute elation as well as a peculiar sense of completeness. For Jace, who was not only independent but used to living a dangerous life where he could pick up and leave at a moment's notice, the sensation was terrifying. He lifted her off of his chest and hurriedly began righting his clothes; Lorissa watched him with shrewd eyes as she pulled up her panties from where they were tangled around her knees and pushed down her skirt.

"You're going to run again aren't you," she asked almost tiredly.

"No," he defensively replied, and it was true. He wasn't going to run. Instead, he reached over, placed a hand on her arm, and teleported them back the library inside Nivix.

She glanced around them in surprise, her eyes widening in understanding before she turned to him and said, "Don't you dare, we have to talk about-"

Jace was gone before she could finish that sentence. He felt a little guilty about leaving her there, but he couldn't handle a serious conversation with her right now. He didn't know what he was doing anymore; he kept acting first and thinking last, digging himself into a hole that was threatening to swallow him. He didn't understand what kept drawing them together. Of course he wanted her, that was obvious, but otherwise he didn't really know her at all. She seemed intelligent and funny enough but she had no power whatsoever. He couldn't possibly consider pursuing anything serious with someone like that; she'd never be able to understand his lifestyle and abilities.

Lorissa meanwhile had reached her limit. She was through letting that man make a fool out of her. She wasn't angry with him so much as herself. He'd never once offered her anything but amazing sex; she was the one who'd thought maybe something might develop. It was stupid of her really. She had two brothers who were pretty frank around her so she knew how men thought at least when it came to intercourse and relationships. His penchant for skipping out on her in such fantastic style did make her mad, however. It was fine if he just wanted to hook up on occasion, but it wasn't okay of him to just blink in and out of her life without any sort of discussion one way or another. In any event, that was the last time she slept with him. She knew she'd said it before, but this time she meant it. 

* * *

Planes away, beyond the unpredictable churnings of the Blind Eternities and the inexplicable meanderings of the human heart, two beings stood in deep conversation. The shorter one was waving hands around in an annoyed fashion while speaking, clearly agitated by the news being delivered. "That's the second time he's met up with this girl at Nivix, and I know for a fact he's seen her around the plane as well." 

"I don't see a use for this information yet, although there are possibilities," the larger replied. "What of the other one?"

"Delivered to New Prahv as you requested. He should be brought to Isperia's attention pretty quickly I'd imagine. He's going to wake up awfully confused and probably angry."

"Excellent," the figure chuckled, the sound as malicious as it was mirthful. "They'll never think to suspect him of anything since he is unaware of the truth himself."


	13. Chapter 13

He woke with a pounding headache and a mouth full of dust. Awareness came to him slowly, long before he could muster the strength to open his eyes. For a while he simply laid where he was, awake yet unmoving as his body tried to fully rouse itself. Every inch of him was sore, as if he'd overexerted himself for an extensive amount of time. He tried to think what he could have done to put such a strain on his muscles but came up empty. He normally preferred working in his lab, flexing his mind. As his limbs awakened, pain started shooting through his nerve endings with acute intensity. It was almost as if he'd fallen asleep in an awkward position, except the sensation was in all of his extremities simultaneously. It increased with every second, until he thought he might scream from the intensity. His lungs struggled to get in enough air, moving hesitantly as if from disuse, the very act of drawing breath an oppressive endeavor. The frightening feeling finally forced his eyes open and he let out a shout of surprise when he realized someone was standing over him. Coupled with the odd experience he'd had so far, it was enough to put him on the defensive and he tapped into the environment, drawing on an incredibly rich mana supply he found at hand as he summoned up a shield. 

The person immediately backed away, hands raised to show they held no weapons and a soothing voice said, "We mean you no harm."

He didn't release the spell of course; well aware they could be lying, instead mustering all his strength to lever himself up onto one elbow so he could take in his surroundings. His vision was as blurry as if he'd tied one on, but he could make out half a dozen humanoid shapes in his vicinity, all of them standing at a respectful distance with hands in the air. Some of his tension dissipated, but he remained alert as he battled to sit up further, wincing at the effort. Empty hands could still cast spells, after all, often far deadlier than mere weapons.

"You might want to reconsider getting up," the speaker replied, her voice tinged with obvious concern. "You've been under our care for over a month, going in and out of consciousness."

"Where am I and how did I get here," he managed to growl out between stiff lips, his throat raw from lack of use, talking even that little painful in the extreme.

"You're in the medical facility at New Prahv," the woman told him, her voice more than a little puzzled. "As for how you got here, we don't know. You were found unconscious on Azorius Senate grounds."

He had no idea where any of the places she'd mentioned were. Somehow, he was on a plane he'd never been to before. How was that even possible? Had Elspeth or someone else brought him to this place? For that matter, why couldn't he remember anything at all about his arrival there? He tried to focus his thoughts, to seek his last memory, but nothing came to mind. He felt a surge of panic until he reminded himself he'd apparently been in a coma for weeks so his brain was going to be a little sluggish. He could remember who and what he was, the most important things in his opinion. Hopefully the rest would come in time.

He glanced around the chamber as his vision slowly cleared, taking in the area as best he could. The space was small but clean, with a table and chairs in addition to the bed he was in. The colors were in soothing shades of blue and white, the solitary window stood slightly ajar to let in a breeze. The atmosphere was designed to be tranquil but he ignored it as he turned his attention back to the other people in his vicinity. They seemed to match the room as far as the shades they wore and each of them bore a crest of a triangle with some circular design in the middle. The person who had first spoken to him had backed away slowly so the entire group stood by the door, bodies still relaxed and making no threatening signs towards him. She was a tiny thing with long blond hair and enormous brown eyes, still lovely even though she was several years older than he was. The other people in the room dwarfed her but she was clearly the one in charge, her demeanor at once authoritative and kind.

He gazed down at his clothing, noting he too was dressed in their choice of colors. He'd been bathed and shaved while he was unconscious and strangely that realization made him more at ease than anything else. He didn't think someone who planned on killing him would take care of his five o clock shadow. He finally lowered his shield and leaned back down against the pillows propped under his head.

"Thanks for watching out for me," he said, confused but convinced of their good intentions for the time being. Their motivations were another matter, which is why he was keeping his mental guard up if nothing else.

The speaker waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "It was nothing. Unfortunately it seems to be all we can do for you at the moment, since you appear to have lost your memory."

An assumption on the woman's part, though not entirely incorrect. There were definitely things he couldn't remember, but he knew very well he wasn't from this place and he had no friends or contacts there. He needed to scout around or possibly even walk, but he couldn't do that until he recovered his strength. "Is there an inn nearby where I could stay? It feels wrong imposing on your hospitality for so long."

"Don't be ridiculous, we do what we can for those in need," she responded. "My name is Salinda deCar. I'm in charge of your care; my superior Lavinia has asked me to keep her informed of your status so I'll let her know you're awake. You are free to remain here as long as you'd like, but if you'd feel more comfortable looking for other lodgings you may do so."

He sat up and winced as his body shrieked in protest. He considered his options. He was on a strange plane so he had no idea where to even begin looking for suitable quarters. It was clear he'd been treated well by this Azorius Senate but he didn't care for being under so many watchful eyes while he figured out where he was and what the hell had happened to him.

"Perhaps you'd feel more at ease staying in less intimidating surroundings," she suggested, tilting her head to the side as she studied him. "I've been keeping watch over you for several weeks and you were never violent even in your worst moments of delirium. I believe you to be a peaceful man; as such I'd welcome you to stay at my home. It's quite large, I have three children and they've all moved out to their own places so there are several spare rooms you could use."

The overture was incredibly magnanimous and somewhat foolish; he could be a murderer for all she knew. He told her, "How do you know I wouldn't hurt you?"

The people behind her stiffened but she gave him a gentle smile. "I'm afraid of no such thing. Even if my impression of you were wrong, I'm not defenseless nor is my husband. As I said, the choice where you stay is up to you. I just thought I'd give you another option."

There was also the possibility she wanted to keep an eye on his activities, but if she did he couldn't blame her. His appearance at their door had to seem highly suspect indeed. He reviewed a few alternate plans in his head and concluded her offer was the best course of action for now. Better to be under the watch of a few people rather than an entire organization. "If it's not too much trouble I'll take you up on the generous offer." 

She actually clapped her hands together in pleasure, a warm expression on her face. "Wonderful, the house is so quiet lately it will be lovely having a guest."

Her reaction surprised a laugh out of him; he'd rarely met someone who seemed to be as genuinely gracious as this lady. "I'll try not to be too much trouble. By the way, the name is Venser, it's a pleasure to meet you Salinda deCar." 

* * *

"Well, he seems to have survived the process with his mind in tact," a man replied to his companion as they stared out over a rolling plane of heaving flesh and putrescence, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "By the way, you pick the worst places to meet up."

The other being smirked at his obvious irritation. "My interest in your approval of the decor is negligible. Keep in mind such areas decrease the likelihood of crossing paths with others. At any rate, is there any news of the Mind Sculptor?"

"He's all over Ravnica; his influence over the guilds is growing to dangerous levels. Even some of the guildmasters are becoming uneasy with his amount of power, although they can't really see a way around it yet," the man added.

"Unpleasant news indeed," the other grumbled. "One can only hope my pawn will be in action before he becomes unreachable."

"He isn't easy to approach to begin with, thanks to his ability to sense thoughts. I have no chance of catching him unawares, at least your puppet is operating under masked intentions so won't give himself away."

"Assuming he does as I wish to begin with," the other sighed. "I do so detest convoluted plans; it's so simple for them to go awry."

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	14. Chapter 14

Following her latest debacle with Jace, Lorissa decided not only was she done with him; she was taking a break from men in general. Why bother looking for someone to take her mind off Jace, when all she really needed to do was remind herself of all the disasters that had befallen her every time she crossed paths with him. True they generally ended with her being satisfied in a carnal sense, but they also left her feeling confused and irritated. Better to just distance herself from those types of situations altogether. It wasn't like men were beating down her door to get to her anyway. With the exception of Jace, the opposite sex didn't seem to realize she was alive. Swearing them off turned out to be remarkably easy.

After her success with finding and fixing flaws in the weird creation spell, Tabozav had promoted her to his personal assistant. No more demeaning tasks for her. Instead she was saddled with poring over increasingly complicated spells, looking for ways to improve them. Her promotion earned her about half a dozen enemies among the up and coming mages who worked in his lab as well and couldn't tolerate being passed over for a mere human. They constantly found little ways to interfere with her duties, either by misplacing items she needed or being recalcitrant about helping her in the first place. She was down to spending only a handful of hours per week in the library at Nivix. She would have been tempted to relinquish her position completely except she truly loved working in the archives and since she was willing to put in hours no one else would even consider, her continued employment there was assured.

Niv-Mizzet made it a point to bother her about once a week. She'd finally realized she was something of a pet to the dragon, for some reason he found her amusing and because he had so many fascinating stories to tell she couldn't drum up the energy to be annoyed by the fact. Being the object of his attention was troublesome on many fronts, the other workers in the library, particularly the mages, treated her with bitter scorn because they couldn't understand why the Firemind would waste his time on a human with no magic. She found their jealousy ironic, since his visits frequently made her uncomfortable all on their own. For one thing, she'd never get used to the sheer size of him. She knew he altered his shape so he could comfortably fit in any section of Nivix he cared to visit, but he was still enormous by any standards. He also had a way of speaking that reminded her how young and foolish she was compared to a being who'd lived for thousands of years.

However what made her the most uneasy about his visits was how often he pried into her personal affairs. Shortly after her last bout of insanity with Jace, the dragon had asked her in passing if she'd managed to find a lover yet. Setting aside the sheer inappropriateness of the question, which Niv-Mizzet would refuse to even acknowledge were she to call him on it, she had been forced to explain yet again that she was still single and likely to remain so. To her surprise, the dragon had scowled at her comment, his demeanor distinctly irate as he began to mutter under his breath about the stupidity of boys who thought they were so clever but in fact were as inept as posts. She had no idea what he was ranting about and had learned early on in their relationship to not bother to ask. If the Dracogenius wished to discuss something with her, he would.

The dragon was pleased with her work for Tabozav, although he frequently informed her she was spending far too much time working and not nearly enough time playing. From his point of view, mortal life was too short to squander. From her point of view, her dating life was none of his business and she'd told him as much to his face. He'd laughed at her and then informed her that people who were overworked and lacking in any relaxing pursuits tended to perform poorly in the long run. She'd had no rejoinder for that. She hated when he was right, which was nearly all the time and the insufferable creature knew it too. 

So her life in the Izzet League grew increasingly complicated. She was certainly moving up the ladder on her own merit; however she was gaining a large number of rivals on the way through no fault of her own. Unfortunately the bias against individuals incapable of magic was greater than the respect for one capable of advancing through hard work. She did what she could to mitigate the damage; asking other mages to assist her with her research whenever possible but it did little good. They helped her because they had to, knowing a refusal would incur the wrath of Tabozav or possibly the guildmaster himself. They didn't see her offer as a generous attempt to elevate them in the eyes of either of those individuals, although that was her true intent. Instead they thought she was trying to slough menial labor onto them. In the beginning she tried to explain her actions, eventually she gave up when she realized they were only going to believe what they wanted to.

Her current project was one she'd constructed herself. Hours of searching for spells in the library had led her to realize there needed to be a system for easily accessing items as well as incantations. The generic spellbook contained a few dozen spells, basic ingredients if the creator was diligent and not much more. She was putting together a scrolling spellbook, one that acted as a sort of portal for retrieving multiple complicated spells and ingredients instantaneously. It involved combining teleportation, tracking and categorizing spells in a seamless flowing conjuration. So far she had researched dozens of each variant, writing out possible amalgamations as she went. The list she had was now a small tome and would take months to sort through, but she felt the results would be worth it. She had mentioned the idea in passing to both Tabozav and Niv-Mizzet; they found the concept interesting but unlikely to succeed with so many variables. Still, she wasn't about to give up on it.

This meant she spent most of her waking hours in either the lab or the library. Her parents had finally sent her a missive a few days ago complaining about the fact they hadn't seen her in over a month. She hadn't responded right away, not having found it until almost a week after its arrival and in the interim her brothers had stopped by to give her a good ass chewing for upsetting their mother. So tonight she was going to leave Nivix at a decent hour and spend the evening with her family, unless she wanted to deal with a tirade from her father next. Her mother was always the last to yell and also the most intimidating when she did it, because it took a lot to anger the kind hearted woman so when she lost her temper it was truly terrifying to behold. There was also the fact that no one knew how to lay on guilt like mothers.

As she was putting away her supplies and packing up her tome containing the list of spells she was compiling, the Firemind breezed into Tabozav's lab, his immense form dwindled down to accommodate the suite. She had to suppress a groan at his appearance. While she generally enjoyed their conversations, tonight she was in a hurry and unfortunately the dragon was not known for being brief in his orations. He _was_ known for being intelligent and observant however and he cocked his head as he drew near saying, "Are my eyes deceiving me, or is my most devoted workaholic actually leaving before sunset?"

She rolled her eyes at his baiting tone. "Yes, liege. I've been summoned by my parents."

"Ah, so you're not going of your own free will then. I should have known," he mused. "I suppose what I had to discuss with you can wait until tomorrow."

It was an out for her so she could leave immediately but Lorissa had a strong sense of duty so before she could think better of it she asked, "Is it something I can help you with immediately, or will it take a while?"

The dragon shrugged a massive shoulder nonchalantly. "I've been asked to lend the facilities at the library to a guest of the Azorius Senate and I was going to see if you wouldn't mind overseeing the visitor's activities while they're in the guild hall since your mother is a member of the High Judges. The fellow isn't due to arrive for a couple of days; I wanted to run the idea past you beforehand."

It sounded like a request but she knew it was a kindly worded command. Niv-Mizzet didn't really deal in appeals so much as demands. He was the guildmaster after all. She wouldn't even think of refusing a direct query from him even if they didn't have a somewhat friendly rapport. "I'd be delighted sir. Anything that helps both my liege and my mother at the same time can only be a pleasure to carry out."

It was nauseating flattery but she knew he enjoyed it on occasion. He chuckled to let her know he was aware of her tactics, his expression pleased. "I assumed you would say as much. Now go, enjoy the time with your family."

She gratefully accepted the dismissal, bolting from the room before he changed his mind and brought up anything else. The Dracogenius watched her depart and said, "Hopefully this new male isn't an idiot like the last one. Otherwise letting him use my library is a waste of time." 

This story is not being written for profit, all MTG characters and settings are property of WOTC. Anything else is mine.


	15. Chapter 15

Jace was slowly being buried alive under his duties as guildpact. Although he was only consulted on more serious matters, with there being so many guilds this still meant he had a stream of issues to deal with. Some were petty, such as one guild infringing on another's area during the conduction of projects. The Izzet League tended to do this a great number of times since they took care of infrastructure which naturally crossed into other guild territories. Some were serious infractions, usually altercations between the Rakdos Cult and the Boros Legion or the Azorius Senate. The Thrill-Killers loved a good time, particularly if it contained violence. If he let it, matters would have completely overwhelmed him but he was able to set up a small group of trusted members from various guilds to act as liaisons on his behalf, carrying his decisions from the public Embassy of the Guildpact throughout the plane. Once he arranged for these people to sit in as proxy for him to some of the less important meetings he was even able to get some sleep at night.

He was far too busy to have time to dwell on personal thoughts, yet he couldn't shake his memories of Lorissa. They came to him at horribly inappropriate moments, irritating him to no end and he contemplated casting a spell on himself to suppress them. In the end he decided not to, it was never wise to mess with the mind unless absolutely necessary, particularly one's own mind. He had grown quite adept at manipulating his abilities but if he were to make a mistake, very few beings in the multiverse could correct it and he was certain none of them called Ravnica home.

So he had to suffer through the annoying flashbacks that hounded him endlessly. Ever since he'd ditched Lorissa at Nivix, he'd avoided the Izzet League's guild hall at all costs, sending someone else in his stead for each and every meeting with the Firemind. He had probably offended the dragon by doing this; strangely he hadn't heard a word about it by missive or messenger from the Dracogenius, which surprised him. The dragon was incredibly arrogant; Jace was certain he wouldn't tolerate such a slight and had prepared a list of excuses were he to be questioned about his absences. He never was and that made him distinctly uneasy.

As for the woman herself, she caused a confusing series of emotions in him. He definitely desired her; normally this wouldn't have bothered him except it was too intense. The lust flared up far too often and was unrestrained, thereby unacceptable as well. She brought out a reckless immaturity in him, making him quick to anger and act. He deplored losing control in such a manner and he didn't care for the way he behaved liked a mindless caveman around her. As a person he didn't really know her at all. She seemed nice enough, but he knew none of their conversations had lasted very long and generally dissolved into sex so his impressions couldn't be considered accurate.

He'd been fooled by a woman before. Liliana Vess had put him utterly under her spell and then proceeded to cause the death of his closest friends, the near death of his long time friend and former love Emmara and his own capture and torture by Tezzeret. He knew she had her reasons for her actions and he could sympathize with the horrible fate that awaited her at the hands of the demons she'd made deals with, but her crimes against him were too great. Part of him would probably always have feelings for her, yet he knew he'd never fully forgive her. He still wanted to help her if he could, however he'd never give her his heart again. Her betrayal had been too profound to overlook. It had also led to him having a difficult if not impossible time ever falling completely in love again.

Jace had been aware for some time that he was lonely. His powers set him apart, he could read the intentions and feelings of others at will and once people learned this about him they grew distant. He couldn't blame them, the loss of privacy was more than most could bear. He'd thought about it himself often enough and known he couldn't tolerate it either if the situation were reversed. He had few friends; most of them were dead now, killed by people who wanted to rule his talents. As for lovers, there weren't any by the true definition of the word. He had several companions he met up with to have sex, but there was no closeness it was just seeing to a necessity. Until his duties as guildpact arrived, his existence had felt increasingly hollow. He'd traveled the multiverse following knowledge and conducting projects but he'd been aware of a void growing within him. He was aimless, adrift in a life rife with possibilities yet somehow suffocating with stagnation.

In a way he was grateful for the demanding schedule of acting as liaison between the guilds. It gave him a new sense of purpose, it kept him busy and it made him feel tied to something again for the first time in a long while. Ravnica had been the one plane he always felt bound to, either because of his past in the Infinite Consortium or the presence of friends such as Emmara. Now he was able to give back to the place that had been his only anchor and he enjoyed being able to do so. Sometimes he just wished he had a more ordinary life.

He wondered what it would be like to just be human, as Lorissa was. She was born on a plane of magic, surrounded by people who could wield it with ease and yet incapable of doing so herself. Did it leave her feeling isolated? She was possibly as lonely as he was, perhaps that was another reason he felt so drawn to her. Unfortunately because she was merely human, he would never be able to have a genuine relationship with her. She wouldn't understand about other planes and she could never see them with him. One of the reasons he'd been so desperate for things to work with Liliana was because she was a planeswalker and as such could fully share in his life. Now that he was reflecting on it, he realized he had quite a bit of baggage. 

Since he had a little free time, he'd once again started working on his memory storage phylactery. He had plans to bury bothersome information in the devices so that he'd know where the recollections were, but not be constantly plagued by them. He suspected he could cure a great portion of his melancholy by simply removing his more troublesome ones. It would be like a mental sedation or wipe, without the possible side effects of damaging his mind. On the last occasion he'd started it, the spell had taken months to get pieced together and he'd just reached the halfway point when he'd heard Lorissa's mental cry of his name and shattered the incantation. This time he was just barely into the forging process. It was grueling work, demanding in both attention to detail and consumption of mana. The safe storage of transient items was no simple task, holding together threads of thought inside a vial for an indefinite period was as valuable as it was difficult. Several hours later, when his brain was exhausted from prolonged focusing and his mana drained from funneling it into the construction, he finally fell into bed.

When Jace woke the next day, his mouth tasted like foul moss and his head was muddled as if he'd consumed too much wine. He'd slept hard and couldn't remember dreaming about anything. He slowly sat up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and let out a yelp when he saw the outline of a face pressed up against his bedroom window. He'd summoned up a bolt of telekinetic force and was aiming at the voyeur before he recognized the fellow as a messenger from the Izzet League. The goblin was dressed in the customary bizarre red and blue armor of a Magewright, complete with mizzium gauntlets. He stared back at the mind mage with a placid expression that said he wasn't going anywhere.

Jace dismissed the bolt and rose from the bed to stomp over to the window. "What are you doing here at this time of morning? I have no appointments with you that I can recall."

The goblin bowed his head in greeting. "The magnificent Niv-Mizzet sent me to request a meeting with you. There is a delicate matter he wishes to discuss with you."

Jace knew the dragon requested nothing. This was a politely disguised demand. He was probably going to get called to task for avoiding personal sessions with the guildmaster. He couldn't even pretend as if it would be undeserved. He'd seen the head of every other guild in the last several weeks. He would have met with the dragon as well, if the creature would ever deign to leave his aerie. The guildpact grumbled to himself as he winced through the glaring morning light, blearily searching the contents of his room until he located what he needed. He leafed through his schedule book with a sigh, before setting a date with the goblin a little over a month away. The Izzet lackey looked annoyed, he had mentioned it was a delicate matter but that was the soonest block of time Jace had free for a formal audience.


	16. Chapter 16

Lorissa made it to her parents place with time to spare, so she decided to clean up before dinner. Her brothers hadn't arrived yet, so there was no need to worry about running into them in their suite next door to hers. The bathroom across the way from her chambers contained her toiletries and towels that she left at the house for use during her visits, so she just walked out into the hallway naked. At that same moment, a man stepped out of her brothers' rooms. They both froze the instant they saw each other. He was a big guy, solidly built, good looking in a rugged way with sandy brown hair and hazel blue eyes. He was dressed in the blue and white uniform of an Azorius Senate official. She, of course, was naked. She dived into the bathroom at the same instant he turned and ran face first into the door leading into her brothers' suite. She groaned as she skidded across tile, scraping skin off her elbows and knees. He groaned as he bounced off the door, a hand reaching up to touch his bleeding nose. Then he hurriedly made his way into her brothers' rooms, the door slamming behind him the same second she slammed the door to the bathroom.

Lorissa should have been frightened to within an inch of her life, but several things prevented that from happening. First off she knew her parents were both home downstairs, while there was a slim chance a stranger could get past one of them there was no way someone could evade both. They had each set up wards all over the house from their respective fields of magic, even a highly trained assassin would be likely to set off at least one. Second, the man had seemed shocked to see her there and even though he looked to be twice her size he'd turned to flee just like she had. What was he doing in her parents' house and apparently her brothers' rooms? If he was a guest, would it have killed her parents to let her know about him?

To top it all off, he'd seen every inch of her up close and personal. She covered her face in embarrassment. She was going to murder her mother and father. She was pretty certain even the strictest judge in the Senate wouldn't condemn her for it in these circumstances. Consequently, the outfit she chose for dinner was not what she'd originally planned on wearing. Feeling vulnerable, she opted for a loose fitting top and comfortable pants that showed only a hint of her figure. She made her way downstairs and was relieved to see only her mother in the dining room.

"So you neglected to mention there's a strange man in the house," Lorissa practically shouted at Salinda by way of opening conversation.

Salinda glanced up in consternation, clearly startled by her daughter's outburst. "I'm sorry I guess I did. He's been with us for so long now I don't really think of him as a guest any longer. Of course you'd already know about him, if you bothered to stop by more often."

Lorissa threw her hands up in the air. "I'm here now aren't I?"

Her mother beamed at her, totally unrepentant for laying the guilt on. "So you are. His name is Venser; he's been with us for about a month now. He has what appears to be a minor case of amnesia. He was found outside New Prahv a couple of months ago in a coma and when he woke up he didn't like the idea of staying in a strange area that was so large and crowded, so I offered to let him board at our place."

Typical of her mother to take a wounded bird under her wing, although thinking back on the man she'd seen in the hall he didn't look impaired at all. He'd exuded virility. Just remembering those broad shoulders and wide chest had her nervously shifting in place. She decided she'd prefer to not have her mother find out about what had happened upstairs. The ensuing explanation would be humiliating beyond belief, so she changed the subject, asking how things had been at the Azorius Senate lately. Salinda couldn't give details of course, but she did immediately launch into a broad description of what she'd been working on for the last several weeks. She was still talking when Venser entered the room, so she didn't notice the unnatural stillness that fell over both him and Lorissa when their eyes met. 

He paused midstride in the doorway, a comical expression of panicked confusion on his face that did nothing to detract from his handsome masculinity. He opened his mouth and stammered out, "A-about earlier, I'm sor-"

Lorissa's shoulders stiffened and she sliced the air with a hand to cut off his apology before it led to any questions from her mother. "Its fine, I'm afraid my mother didn't tell me a guest was here. I'm Lorissa deCar, pleased to meet you."

Venser frowned as he tried to read the situation. He definitely needed to apologize to the girl. He'd gotten an eyeful of every delicate curve she possessed and the image was burned into his brain, making him feel uncomfortable, guilty and more than a little turned on all at once. She didn't seem interested in the overture however and after taking a moment to think about her words he knew why. She was the daughter of Salinda and clearly didn't want her mother to know what had happened. He couldn't blame her; he didn't want his fierce little hostess to know either. Salinda might be kind and compassionate, but it wasn't too hard to imagine her being a fearsome protector when it came to her children.

Earlier when he'd run into Lorissa upstairs he’d had only an overall impression of a tiny female with sweet curves, huge eyes and dark hair. His brain had shorted out on seeing all that bare skin and he'd turned tail and run. Now that Venser was able to study her at length, it was obvious she was related to Salinda. Both women were dainty and eye catching, their color was completely opposite but Venser had been staying at the deCar residence for a while and readily recognized the daughter had inherited her darker hues from her father Nostav. She was the counter of her brothers Peyrn and Pardic, who had Salinda's fair coloring and Nostav's giant build. Venser liked the twins, they wrestled with him when they visited and had a jovial nature about them that put one and all at ease. This girl seemed a little more reserved, but that could just be due to the fact he'd seen her naked. He was feeling awkward himself and he had the luxury of being clothed at their first meeting.

"I'm Venser," he finally replied, extending a hand to her in greeting.

She eyed his palm like it might turn into a snake, and then realized her mother would think she was acting odd if she didn't take it. Her hand was eclipsed by his much larger one as she shook it and she couldn't help but notice how warm and firm his grip was. A little shiver passed through her at the thought and she was so startled she yanked her hand out of his and stepped away. It was the first trace of physical attraction she’d felt in ages. How could she even think about being interested in another man after the disaster she'd had with Jace a few months ago? Maybe her self esteem had taken a blow when she'd been relegated to an occasional booty call.

Venser was an excellent artificer; he understood artifacts and machinery much better than people in general and certainly better than women in particular. However even a novice like himself could read a reaction like hers, she was attracted to him but not happy about it. He'd been feeling guilty about being unable to get the picture of her naked out of his mind; he was over that as of right now. He shifted in place, tamping down the urge to do something about the signal she'd sent, respecting her obvious desire to suppress it. It went against the very nature of his masculine sex drive, but he turned to Salinda and asked if she needed help setting the table. Lorissa volunteered to help her in the kitchen and the two women disappeared while he took care of the dining room. Nostov and the twins arrived shortly after that, and everyone sat down to eat.

The evening passed by in a pleasant fashion. This was a family of love and laughter; they teased one another mercilessly and with great fondness. Each of them possessed an inherent independence and they all respected that. The twins perhaps were the least so, due to their own bond. The food itself was excellent, Salinda enjoyed cooking for the family and one could taste the care she put into the preparations. The sauces were beautifully blended, the meats wonderfully seasoned, the sides perfectly complimentary. When the desserts arrived Lorissa groaned aloud and accused her mother of trying to make her fat, even as she accepted a veritable slab of chocolate cake.

After dinner came the games: cards, drawings, things even got physical for a while as the twins challenged Venser and Nostov to wrestling matches. Salinda and Lorissa trounced the men at the card games, the twins dominated the drawing set since they could more or less read one another's mind so figured out their pictures first. Despite being the oldest male there, Nostov still won the wrestling, as a member of the Boros Legion he participated in hard physical training every day and he was in shape to a terrifying degree. The whole time the family exchanged friendly taunts and told outrageous stories to see who got the most laughs. Venser was suffused with a feeling of well being and peace, an experience he seldom had in life, and he was sad to see the evening end.

Eventually Peyrn, Pardic and Lorissa had to leave. She'd originally planned on staying the night in her old room but after what happened earlier that was out of the question. She didn't think Venser was a threat, even if her parents weren't there. She'd been surprised to find she had a good time despite the embarrassing way in which they met, he seemed like a nice enough man and had a ready laugh and quick smile. He was genuinely fond of her family; apparently her brothers had hung out with him quite a bit in the last weeks. Even with all that, she still felt awkward sleeping in the room next to his. Her brothers offered to escort her home under the baleful glare of their mother and the three siblings kept up the teasing banter of the night the whole way to her place. They came in to visit for another hour, mostly so they could play with her Pride lion.

Lorissa got to bed very late and it was only then she realized she hadn't been plagued by thoughts of Jace for hours. It had been almost two months since the last time she'd seen him. There could be no doubt he had no intention of seeing her again and she really didn't know what she'd do if they did cross paths. There was nothing serious between them, just a lot of hot sex and bad behavior on both their parts. She'd made stupid choices and he'd run out on her in spectacular style. She wasn't even all that angry with him anymore, being too pragmatic to hold a grudge. She'd learned her lesson and while initially her feelings had been hurt, once she'd thought about it from a logical angle she knew there was no reason for her to feel that way. He'd never promised her anything, she'd never asked for anything. It was time for her to get on with life.


	17. Chapter 17

Now that she'd decided to focus on her career and nothing else, Lorissa felt as if an unseen weight had been taken off her shoulders. She immersed herself in the research and assembly of her spellbook. Tabozav was thrilled with the results of her suggestions for improvements to the weird spell; he hadn't lost a single creature since her recommendations. He had praised her lavishly, particularly with her disability, which is how he viewed her lack of magic. He'd even suggested she quit working at the library however she had flatly refused to do that. She'd also informed him that the Firemind was assigning her to help a visitor from the Azorius Senate in the imminent future. The guildmage had muttered to himself at this bit of news but he wouldn't dare countermand the wishes of the dragon. Niv-Mizzet had a habit of eating those who displeased him.

As the days passed she made slow progress on her personal project, the research required meticulous attention and there were so many possible combinations to try out that if she really stopped and thought about it she would be overwhelmed. Her focus was such that she didn't hear the approach of two men until they were practically upon her, and she didn't bother raising her head even then since she was generally left to her own devices by the other employees of the library.

"Archivist deCar, the great Niv-Mizzet has seen fit to assign you to oversee a...guest from the Azorius Senate," one of them intoned in a bored voice, breaking her concentration and forcing her to look up to acknowledge their presence.

Lorissa felt her mouth fall open when her amber gaze locked with a disbelieving hazel blue one. Venser, her parents' houseguest, stood before her in all his masculine glory. He was dressed in another outfit she recognized as belonging to the High Judges, the white and blue tunic emphasizing the impressive breadth of his shoulders. Again she was struck by how solid he was. He looked like a blacksmith or a warrior, not a scholar. In her astonishment she blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

The man with Venser sniffed at her disdainfully. "As I said, he is a guest of our liege, entrusted to your dubious care. Good day, deCar."

They both stared after his rapidly retreating form before Venser muttered, "What a rude thing to say," his expression dark with irritation.

Lorissa waved a dismissive hand. "Never mind him, I'm used to it. I had no idea you were coming here, mom didn't mention it to me."

Then again she wouldn't, Salinda took her loyalty to the Senate seriously, placing it above all things except the lives of her family. Lorissa couldn't fault her for it, but she was still unsettled. Venser was a nice enough guy, but her attraction to him was annoying and most likely a rebound of sorts. Jace had left her confused and made her wary of men. She really wanted to avoid them for a while, and yet here she was forced to assist an incredibly handsome one. She understood why Niv-Mizzet had chosen her for the task, given her relationship to the Azorius, but she didn't like it one bit.

Venser was equally astonished to see the feisty little brunette and his body had gone into a slow burn the second he recognized her. Even though it had been several days since her visit to the deCar house, he could still recall her naked body with vivid clarity, his cock swelling in reaction. "Yeah, she didn't tell me you’d be here either," he finally replied in as neutral a tone as possible considering how hard and ready he was.

He sincerely wondered whether or not he’d be able to focus on the task at hand while she was in proximity. It had been an age since he’d indulged himself physically, with a partner that is. He’d taken the edge off only hours ago after all, thanks to the female in front of him. He was a healthy guy; suppressing such a recent sighting of an attractive naked woman was difficult to do. And once his memory surfaced it was laughably easy for his imagination to kick in and take over, to give in to his mind’s desire, his body craving release.

To stop that dangerous line of thought, he reflected back on his odd meeting with the Guildmaster of the Izzet League this morning. Salinda was concerned with his continuing loss of memory and while the Senate had access to a great deal of doctrine for law, it was the League that held a large portion of information regarding magic. The Parun was incredibly old and had a habit of storing everything he researched, no matter how trivial. Thus his library was extensive; some might even say exhaustive. She had been of the opinion that Venser might find something to help jog his memory in one of the League’s books. So she had sent a missive to Nivix and had been delighted to report the dragon had immediately granted a visitation to him.

As he’d made his way to the appointment with the Izzet leader, Salinda had explained to him that even though he wasn’t a member of the Azorius Senate, he was still representing them since he was more or less under their protection. The Guilds on Ravnica had a complicated, tense relationship and he quickly understood there could be backlash against Salinda if he did anything to anger the League. He’d been feeling guilty and unnerved as he was led into the dragon’s presence. He hadn’t been completely honest with his hostess and he felt bad about that. Her family was kind and had generously taken him in during his recovery; it seemed despicable not to tell her he was aware of most of his past. Just not the very important area concerning his end of days. He clearly recalled granting Karn his spark; he should by all rights be dead now.

Niv-Mizzet had been waiting for him in his full draconic splendor, his reptilian visage impressive and impassive as Venser was announced by the guild mage who had led him into the chamber. Venser didn’t like dragons; his interactions with them had admittedly been limited but he’d had the great misfortune to capture the attention of Nicol Bolas and a more evil entity had never existed. For the sake of power, that leviathan would sacrifice anything and everything to get what he wanted. Niv’s expression was far more serene than Nicol’s had ever been, but that offered Venser little comfort as the two of them took each other’s measure while the guild mage exited the room.

“So, soujourner, voyager, or perhaps I should refer to you as Walker…Salinda deCar tells me you have lost your memory and need my help searching for something to return it,” the Parun mused by way of greeting, blindsiding Venser with that casual observation.

The man had taken care to control the shock he was feeling, working hard to keep his own face neutral. So, the dragon knew something about Planeswalkers. And clearly knew who some of them were as well, if he had recognized Venser’s name. He shouldn’t have been too surprised; Salinda had told him the dragon was thousands of years old. His own experience with Nicol Bolas had shown him how terrifyingly shrewd and intelligent the creatures were. He would have to move cautiously until he could figure out what the dragon’s angle was.

“Greetings Parun of the Izzet League,” he politely replied, bending into a respectful bow while carefully reviewing how to reveal nothing. “Salinda is graciously allowing me to stay with her family while I attempt to uncover the truth about my past. She thought if anyone might have access to the information I needed, it would be you.”

The Dracogenius let out an amused cackle at the pretty evasion; no lies were spoken but no information really given either. “I am familiar with the deCar family; a fascinating lot…for humans. That being said, I am not one to simply lend out the use of my library. Out of respect for a servant of Isperia I agreed to this meeting; but that alone. If you wish to use my facilities you are welcome to, for a price.”

Ah greed, Venser thought. A universal trait among dragons it seemed. He needed to tread very carefully here. “That is generous of you Guildmaster. I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer in terms of recompense; I woke up here with no belongings to my name.”

The Firemind lazily flapped a wing in dismissal. “I’m not interested in something as mundane as material goods. Rather, you may freely access all that I own, in exchange for a favor of my choosing to be named in the future.”

Venser could think of a million reasons why that was a terrible thing to agree to, but at the moment his options were minimal. Nonexistent really. With a sigh and a feeling of dread, he had reluctantly agreed to the dragon’s terms, his sense of foreboding growing as the Parun had smiled at him in pleasure before calling for an attendant to take him down to the library.

That was how he’d found himself face to face with Lorissa, apparently in her care for the time being. “I had no idea you, uh, worked here.”

“More like slave here,” she replied with a laugh, gesturing at the various piles of materials surrounding her on the desk. “Although in this case, I was actually working on something in my spare time. Niv-Mizzet must have sensed I was on a break.”

He smiled, charmed by her laugh, and rambled, “Your Senate is in the mother.”

She frowned in confusion and he fought down the urge to flee when he realized what he’d said. He cleared his throat and quickly amended, “That is, your mother is in the Senate. How did you end up here?”

“Oh that,” she waved a hand nonchalantly, smile back in place to melt his mind to mush again. “Both of my parents believe strongly in free will when it comes to leading one’s life. They would have liked if I went into one of their guilds, but I wanted to make my own way and they respect that.”

Venser did as well and realized it would be quite easy to get distracted by her. She was clever, resourceful and unconsciously sensual, her body language intuitive and expressive in a way that promised she would be a lavishly sexual partner. He held up an insignia the dragon had given him. “What is this, like a hall pass or something?”

Lorissa snorted and said, “Basically. It gives you free access to anything in Nivix.”

To which comment he got a rather graphic visual image that would be the foundation for some filthy fantasies later. He would love to have every inch of her at his disposal to touch, lick, bite and fuck as he pleased.

* * *

In the depths of his chambers, Niv-Mizzet snorted to himself as he listened to the exchange between the visitor and his archivist through the insignia Venser carried. The man seemed like a bumbling idiot around her and yet, there was something about him that the dragon found intriguing. He knew little of the man other than his name, his study into the planar traveling beings was far from complete or detailed even with the contacts he was establishing thanks to the assistance of his henchman. Normally humans were beneath his consideration but there were a handful of beings that wielded incredible power, such as Jace, that he took an interest in. His instincts told him that this Venser was of a similar vein and worth investigating in person as a side project if nothing else. The Parun had reached his status through many avenues and an ability to recognize and cultivate pawns was among those tactics.

Putting this man with his little librarian had the added bonus of finding her a partner after the colossal flop of pairing her with the Living Guildpact. It would not net him nearly as much influence, but he found that the thought did not bother him when he would succeed at seeing to the future of his pet project. 


	18. Chapter 18

Venser had spent the latter part of his life in constant agony, suffering from a wasting disease that had driven him to take medication in order to function through the pain. Unfortunately, that same substance had proved far too addictive for him to handle and in the end he had been enslaved to his need for it. Any time he turned away from it, or was forced to by extenuating circumstances, he had always found himself crushed by the withdrawal symptoms. Constant pain and nagging misery had been part of his every day life. But since waking on this strange new plane, he had discovered that both his disease and his addiction seemed to have vanished. He had no idea why that might be, but he wasn’t going to complain about it. He simply added it to the list of unknown variables that existed in his current situation.

Overall, his new lease on life had been surprisingly pleasant in spite of being in a place he didn’t recognize and surrounded by strangers with unknown customs. He’d had the great fortune to be found by the Azorius Senate, a lawful and straightforward guild of individuals who were as organized as they were disciplined. He’d somehow wandered into the care of the deCar family and he knew he couldn’t ask for better hosts. They were kind and compassionate and never pushed him for information. The mother was fair and stern, the father was stormy and passionate, the sons were boisterous and generous and the daughter, well…

She was turning out to be utterly fascinating. And he didn’t think that simply because the first time he’d seen her, she’d been naked. Although he definitely remembered the occasion and recalled it often when he needed to get off. Rather, it was her pragmatic intellect coupled with a surprisingly dark and flirtatious sense of humor that had left him with a thirst for knowledge about her. Out of all the members of her family, only she lacked any magic, which had surprised him. It didn’t take long for him to figure out such a subject was too sensitive for discussion, but he was incredibly impressed by how far she had risen in the Izzet League without the use of the arcane. What she lacked in mystical power she made up for with intelligence and a daunting diligence. When she set her mind on a task, nothing seemed to distract her from it.

Although Niv-Mizzet had assigned her as his assistant, she spent so much time fulfilling other duties that he only rarely asked her for her help. Her desk seemed to be a revolving door for numerous mages in the guild, trying to slough menial tasks off on her. She was too ambitious and eager to build bridges to say no, but her overseer Tabozav had no qualms about returning most of the jobs to their original owners. He deeply valued Lorissa’s intense devotion to work and he sheltered her as a result. This, as far as Venser could tell, undermined all of her hard work at trying to bond with the other mages in the guild. They resented her tremendously, not only because of her position but also the fact that she had made it there without the use of spellwork.

Having the attention of the Guildmaster probably didn’t help in that department either. It had shocked the hell out of Venser the first time the dragon had descended to the library late at night to visit with Lorissa. She spent most of her days working in a lab, but when she was researching her own project she was almost exclusively in the library. He had discovered early on that she was a workaholic; she stayed late into the night long after everyone else had left and she was one of the first to arrive in the morning. He had taken to keeping her company in the night, sitting by her in companionable silence while they researched their respective materials. He hadn’t met many people who appreciated the stillness like he did, especially ones that could carry a conversation like she could. But she seemed to know exactly when to speak and when not to.

They were immersed in their books when an enormous shadow descended upon them and a dry voice rumbled, “I see my Lorissa has infected you with her industrious ways.”

Both of them jumped in surprise, pulled out of their concentration by Niv-Mizzet’s words. Venser started to stand to greet the Guildmaster, thinking the dragon might be there for some specific reason. Lorissa simply sighed in exasperation and said, “Pay no attention to him, he’s just here to harass me again.”

Venser had to keep his mouth from dropping open in shock; the Firemind didn’t seem like a being that was given to tolerating teasing and mockery. To his further astonishment, the Parun let out a short bellowing chuckle before turning piercing eyes onto him.

“Perhaps it might be better if you rubbed off on her instead,” the dragon mused, and something in his tone let the man know his phrase was as loaded as it sounded.

Venser’s eyes widened in embarrassed alarm; a cautious glance at Lorissa revealed she had turned her attention back to her research. She clearly hadn’t heard the Guildmaster, or if she had she’d not caught the sexual innuendo whatsoever. For his part, Venser understood perfectly well that Niv-Mizzet was pointing out he was aware of the man’s attraction to her. Not that Venser could deny it or would bother trying to. She was physically attractive, funny, intelligent and ambitious. The only thing she lacked was magic and honestly after his tumultuous past he didn’t find that a deficiency. A man could very easily settle down with her and live a comfortable, fulfilling life in peace. While he genuinely wanted to discover how he’d managed to revive and arrive on this plane, the temptation of a calm existence with a companion like her was overwhelming.

“That’s a possibility if she’s open to it,” he replied, opting for honesty, having noted the dragon seemed to appreciate frankness as long as it was respectful.

The Dracogenius grinned at him in masculine approval, a teasing glint in his ancient eyes. “I’d get to it soon if I was you, it must be getting tiring taking care of things with your own hands.”

Venser let out a cough to cover his yelp of surprise and Lorissa glanced up at them with a frown. “I’m sorry, are you having to handle something alone? I’m supposed to be helping you after all.” 

Niv-Mizzet let out a roar of delighted laugher, his enormous body shaking with undisguised mirth while Venser ran a hand over his face and silently wished to sink into the floor and disappear from sight. She gave both of them a perplexed look and then sighed, “I will never understand the male mind.”

“That’s probably for the best at the moment,” the parun answered her in a deadpan voice, his continued amusement evident as he inclined his head at them. “I must be off for the time being; many experiments to formulate yet tonight. Do not stay long; I think the two of you need to get in bed.”

Venser narrowed his eyes at the dragon, who regarded him with an unrepentant smile before turning and strolling out of the library. Lorissa shut her notebook and stretched, the motion immediately drawing his attention back to her, his mouth going dry at the way her breasts pushed against the straining fabric of her top. Stupid dragon putting wild ideas in his head. Not that the Firemind was wrong; he’d certainly thought about her on multiple occasions while stroking his cock and it was a poor substitute for what he really wanted.

“He’s right as usual,” she sighed as she stood up. “I’ll never tell him though; he’s already insufferable as is.”

Venser chuckled, shutting his own books and picking up his notes. “You have a surprisingly open relationship with Niv-Mizzet.”

“He thinks of me as a pet,” she replied over her shoulder as she returned her books to their proper places.

He followed in her wake, handing her replacement tomes as she filed each one away. They had fallen into a comfortable routine almost from the very first, after that initial awkward meeting in the library. He found their interactions soothing, their ability to exchange conversation a delightful diversion from his pursuit of his recent past. As the days had gone by, he had found himself caring less and less about what had happened to him after he’d seen Karn. Did it really matter why he was there? He’d woken up on the same plane as this woman who seemed to be seeping into his soul, and the odds of that happening were phenomenal. Couldn’t he just simply…be?

. 


	19. Chapter 19

Lorissa was acutely aware of the man walking behind her; his large presence had become a constant part of her life in the last several weeks. It was unprecedented how quickly she’d gotten used to having him around. In the beginning when he’d been placed in her care by Niv-Mizzet, she had been resentful of the burden he represented. She was already juggling multiple projects at once during the day. But as she’d grown to know him over time, she realized he was as intelligent as he was kind. He was able to talk with her about virtually everything that came to mind and, unlike most people, actually interested in doing so. In fact he seemed interested in everyone and everything around him, with a rapacious curiosity and a definitively scientific mind.

She had learned from her mother that Venser had memory loss the first night they met, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d been sent to Nivix. If there was a spell to recover his missing time, it would be in the libraries. So far he had found a few, but as far as she knew none of them had worked. And as the days passed by, she found herself hoping none ever would. He was fun to be around; hard working and humorous and he understood the sanctity of needing time to one’s self. After the tumultuous experiences with Jace, he was a tranquil breeze.

He was also easy on the eyes; big and solid with a rugged handsomeness that she had noticed from the start. Over time she’d become aware she was growing attracted to him. It wasn’t surprising really. They were together all the time. They had in depth conversations. She had witnessed first hand how respectful he was to her family and how gentle he could be. And he made her laugh. It seemed perfectly natural to start entertaining thoughts of sleeping with him.

And although she had pretended to not hear what Niv-Mizzet had said to the man earlier that night, the truth was she’d been listening the entire time. It was obvious to her that the dragon was trying to play match maker between the two of them. Venser was too polite to put the Guildmaster in his place; although his own comments had seemed to indicate he might not mind something developing between them. Then again, he could have just been saying that to get the dragon to stop teasing him.

Her self confidence had suffered thanks to her disastrous encounters with Jace. She’d always been acutely aware of her shortcomings as a normal human on a world of magic. She wasn’t bad looking, but understood there were others who far exceeded her in that aspect as well. Her intelligence she had always been secure in, until her series of stupid decisions regarding Jace. Her inability to resist him or even carry on a grudge in his presence had made her doubt her self control and willpower as well.

All of this attributed to a reluctance to test her theory that Venser might be interested in being with her. Oh, he’d probably agree to sex if she asked. He was a healthy male after all and in her experience he would be amicable to it as long as he wasn’t repulsed by her. But that wasn’t the same as being interested in her and she really didn’t want to end up in another casual relationship. Especially not with a man who had such close ties to her family at the moment.

And moving forward would also mean putting an end to their current relationship, which Lorissa was enjoying more than any she could recall in the past. If something went wrong between them, there would be no more of these nights of relaxing companionship. No more interesting chats full of laughter and insight. No more moments of pure contentment spent simply sitting next to one another reading. His very presence soothed and stimulated her at once, and the thought of losing that was what kept her from pursuing anything further.

But it was difficult to ignore the growing desire she felt for him. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t the best judge of lovers. This man was a stranger to himself; for all she knew he was married with children and didn’t remember it. That was exactly the sort of calamity she would do anything to avoid. So until he could recall his past, it would be wisest to make sure they stayed platonic.

She put her last book away and turned to thank Venser for helping her, but because she’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t realized how close he was standing behind her. She bumped into his much larger frame and stumbled backwards; before she could fall over a strong arm wrapped itself around her and steadied her. She found herself staring up into his warm eyes at a close range. Her hands had instinctively come to rest on his chest to help stabilize herself, she was acutely aware of the firm planes of his pectorals underneath her palms. She knew she should move away, but she remained standing still, staring up at him as she tried to remember why this was a bad idea. At the prolonged contact his gaze darkened and the arm that had offered support only moments ago tensed at her back. Sexual awareness singed the air between them and she had to stifle a sigh of anticipation to hide her reaction to his proximity. A moment later, it proved an unnecessary precaution, because he leaned down and kissed her anyway.

* * *

Jace had found himself traveling quite a lot on various reconnaissance trips to other planes in the weeks following his last rendezvous with Lorissa deCar. At first he thought it was simply to get some space from the suffocating post as the Living Guildpact, but he had gradually accepted that it was partly due to his nature and partly due to his desire to run from his conflicting feelings for her. He had always enjoyed learning and experiencing new cultures, immersing himself in them proved to be a wonderful distraction. Of course he couldn’t remain gone from Ravnica indefinitely. And on one of his returns to the plane, he found himself facing his upcoming meeting with Niv-Mizzet at Nivix.

He spared very little thought for the actual meeting that would take place with the parun. Trying to decipher what the dragon might want ahead of time was a pointless endeavor; he was such a vacillating quantity that it made coming up with a plan of defense and attack for their meeting an exhausting prospect. It was much simpler to assume the Dracogenius was going to try to manipulate him into doing something on his behalf and be prepared for verbal traps.

Instead Jace mused on what he wanted to do about Lorissa. He knew she would be in Nivix somewhere; she almost never left the place. In the process of rationalizing his memories of her, he had found himself increasingly curious about what she was like as a person outside of their sexual interactions. Obviously she was highly intelligent to have obtained her position without magic; he also knew her to be exceedingly hard working. Their few conversations had hinted at a person of insight and shrewdness.

He recognized that avoiding her forever was not only childish; it would also be difficult to maintain. She had connections to several guilds and her family members all held positions of considerable power. She had been rising among the ranks of the Izzet League pretty rapidly herself. It would be better to simply acknowledge her and move on. He felt relieved to have reached a decision about how to proceed with her and began to look forward to his trip to Nivix.

Any prolonged thoughts about Lorissa had the predictable side effect of stirring a rapacious reaction in him and he found himself on the doorstep of one of his various lovers. Some nights he opted for jerking off, but tonight he was too aroused to settle for that. He craved more engaging stimulation and was profoundly relieved when his knock was answered. His lover looked surprised to see him there; he hadn’t been to her place in a while as he was careful to rotate women he visited so none of them grew too attached. They were a diversion for him, a way to redirect his desire; he didn’t want anything more from them. 

He’d cast an illusion on himself the moment he stepped out his door, in order to avoid being recognized by anyone. He was highly adept at blue magic in general, but in the area of illusions he was a master, capable of duplicating smells, tastes and sounds to perfection. He could easily alter reality. And as soon as she answered, he just as skillfully shrouded his lover in an illusion as well, his body throbbing when her visage shimmered into that of the woman he so desperately desired. His dick was already hard from thinking about Lorissa, his pants chafed uncomfortably as it grew even more erect at the simulation of her in front of him. He was a bit more hurried than normal in jumping straight into foreplay but she didn’t complain.

Jace pushed her down onto her couch, dropping to the ground so he knelt between her thighs as he leaned over her, his body pressing hers back into the cushions. He kissed her forcefully, his hunger intense. No one could do illusions as well as Jace; with every pass of his tongue over hers he tasted Lorissa just as he remembered. It was just like she was there; exactly what he needed and wanted instead of the woman underneath him. His cock started to ache, his balls heavy as he slanted his mouth over his lover’s again and again until his lungs started screaming at him to come up for air. He broke the kiss to bury his face in her hair, his hands gripping her ass hard as Lorissa’s scent flooded his senses in a subtle assault on his self control, eliciting a delicious frisson reaction from him.

He ran his hands over her legs as they wrapped around his waist; he started to grind his hips against hers, panting at the friction of his dick rubbing against her crotch. He was so sensitive it sent electric ripples through his already aroused body. He was dimly aware of her sighs of pleasure, the sound made erotically familiar by his magic. She wanted this as much as he did. And just like that, he started leaking pre cum so heavily that it saturated his underwear. He hurriedly yanked down his pants before those got wet as well.

Jace’s cock bucked when it came into contact with her clothing and he impatiently removed the silky barriers, rubbing the head of his shaft in the wet heat he found beneath them. His lover started making little begging sounds in Lorissa’s voice and a shudder wracked his body an instant before he rammed into her pussy. She was as tight and hot as he remembered thanks to his illusions, and he covered her mouth with a groan, his tongue going deep as he started plunging his dick inside her. He set up a fast pace and the friction felt amazing, her cunt cinching around him perfectly.

He sank into a state of delirium, driven by instinct and need. Each penetration was bliss, every withdrawal from her scorching tightness a temporary agony that rocked him with its intensity. He couldn’t get enough. He was drowning in the taste, smell and feel of her. Her body writhed under his, her moans ringing in his ears as her nails dug into the cloth on his back, the material abrading her nipples so they were sharp points rubbing against his chest. 

Every stroke made Jace more frantic, the tension in his gut and lower back escalating. Her dripping heat squeezing his cock every time he thrust into her, the pleasure intensifying until he was mindless. He fucked her harder, faster, loving the way her thighs clung to his hips and the wet sound of his dick pumping in and out of her. He could feel her pussy tightening around him and he felt a savage satisfaction that he was going to make Lorissa cum. He put his hands behind her knees and shoved her legs higher up so that his body was rubbing against her clit as he continued pounding into her; the new angle made her perfect pussy feel even tighter and he found his control shredding as he heard her scream and felt her body tighten and contract around his cock. The sensation was excruciating, too much to resist and he felt his dick pulse as he came inside her, his balls unloading white streams of cum into her still convulsing cunt. Pleasure poured through his entire body, streaking up from his spine and spreading with shattering intensity to every nerve ending until he collapsed against her, breathing hard.

It felt amazing, until Jace opened his eyes and met the illusory ones he’d created to look like Lorissa’s. This wasn’t her, never had been. And the satiation he’d been feeling took on a hollow edge as he stood up and took his leave of his lover to return home and dream about the woman he craved. 

* * *

When the day finally arrived for Jace’s meeting at the aerie, he found himself waking up much earlier than necessary. He took care with his outfit, although he refused to believe he was dressing solely for her sake. He had to be at his best any time he conversed with the Firemind, and that included in appearance. That was clearly why he spent an hour checking his hair in the bathroom before finally deciding he was ready to head to his appointment with the ancient Guildmaster.

Somehow he arrived at Nivix about an hour ahead of their meeting; and without conscious direction his feet carried him to the library. This late in the day it was mostly deserted, but he knew Lorissa would be there. Wild excitement raced through his body as he made his way to her desk in the back of the bibliotheca. It had been so long since he’d last seen her; he was surprised to find the hours seemed etched on his soul. Even though what they had was mostly sexual, he’d missed her on some level he hadn’t understood. His earlier thoughts of denying what was between them faded, like they always did when he was faced with the reality of her. He suddenly couldn’t wait to be with her again. 


	20. Chapter 20

Venser had kissed her.

This was the one thought that kept resurfacing to bounce around Lorissa’s head overnight. She’d push it away and try to focus on something else, but of course it wasn’t able to be kept at bay for long.

And it had been good. Initially, it was sweet, gentle and skilled just like the man himself. His lips had felt politely persuasive against her own when he first leaned down, but his tongue had swept in with a persistent demand that had set her senses on fire. She suspected for all of his reserved demeanor, he was uninhibited in bed. The way he drew her in close to his body with tightly leashed strength had taken her breath away, particularly when he slid his arm down her back to grab her ass. One squeeze later and he’d growled like an animal an instant before doing a deliberately slow roll of his hips so she could feel his hot, hard length slide against her. There was something incredibly exciting about a man with a combination of passion and self-control, like standing too close to a fire that’s heat felt nice but would burn a person alive if they weren’t careful. 

She’d felt a sharp pang of desire flare to life between her thighs and it was that piercing sensation that had caused her to push out of his embrace with a startled gasp. Only a handful of men had ever been able to arouse her, the last one had been out of her life for just a few months and she hadn’t expected to feel such a strong reaction to a man again anytime soon. The needs of her body had always taken a backseat to her mind, but when she ran across a man that was capable of awakening both she found it irresistible.

She’d stared up at Venser in shocked silence, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she’d almost drowned in his heated eyes. She’d been torn between desire, confusion and worry. She couldn’t pretend as if she didn’t enjoy the kiss, she was wet from the brief contact, and it wasn’t in her nature to deny when she felt desire. He didn’t look sorry or hesitant at all; he reminded her of a predator stalking prey, fiercely intent. Lust rode the air between them and set a taut edge to his masculine form; tension screaming in the rigid lines of his shoulders, thighs and most obviously his groin. Some wicked part of her brain wanted to engage in a little bout of show and tell with him, her body having been deprived of sex for months on end.

But now that they’d kissed, she realized she wasn’t ready for anything like that yet. She was still feeling too raw after the disastrous fling, or whatever it was, with Jace. And if she did decide she wanted to pursue something with Venser, she didn’t want to rush into it. She valued their closeness too much to risk ruining it.

He must have read her thoughts on her face, because he’d taken a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then rumbled, “You should go home now.”

It was clearly a warning. He’d taken to walking her home in the evenings so she wouldn’t be traveling through the city alone after dark. The fact that he didn’t offer to that night told her he wasn’t completely in agreement with her unspoken wishes but doing his best to comply. She’d nodded once and then fled the library, not even bothering to hide that she was running away.

Lorissa had spent the entire trip home replaying that kiss in her head. She probably could have been mugged and wouldn’t have even noticed it coming; she was so lost in thought. She couldn’t quite believe he’d kissed her. He was a handsome man and quiet, not someone she would think of as governed by physical needs but his embrace had been anything but shy. It was true that she’d been wondering what kissing Venser would be like, she just hadn’t expect to find out so soon, if ever. She hadn’t even been certain he thought of her as anything other than a friend, but there had been explicit sexual hunger in his kiss earlier.

She was also feeling relief in addition to amazement. She’d seriously doubted her own appeal recently and it was nice to know the man found her attractive enough to make a move on. Of course now that he had, she had no idea how to address it. The moment his tongue had glided over hers, she had recognized that even though it felt wonderful, she was still not willing to take it any further for the time being. Maybe some part of her was still hung up on Jace, but she hoped that wasn’t the case since anything with him was a lost cause. He wasn’t even a part of her life. 

Lorissa dragged herself to bed, hoping to lose her troubles in sleep. Instead, she found herself wandering through the house in her nightgown. When she rounded the corner to her living room, she was startled to find Venser there waiting for her. He didn’t say a word, just looked at her with smoldering eyes as he crossed the room to pull her into his arms. He bent down to kiss her, his mouth sliding over hers until she opened to him so his tongue could dip inside. He lifted her off the ground easily, one arm around her waist and the other under her butt. She wrapped her legs around his hips and sighed when she felt his hard, muscular body press up to hers. He started kissing his way down her neck and she let her eyes close as her head fell back with a sigh.

He lowered her down so her back was leaning against the arm of her loveseat, freeing his hands so that they could slip under her nightgown. One hand palmed her ass and the other skimmed slowly upwards over her ribcage to cup her breast. She let out a little whimper as his fingers gently massaged her nipple until it hardened. His thumb brushed slowly back and forth over the peak as he teasingly licked the skin of her neck, flutters of delicious sensation streaking through her body and causing a deep ache to ignite between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together when he lightly tugged on the sensitive tip of her breast, feeling herself go wet in anticipation.

He leisurely inched his way down over her collarbones with delicate swipes of his tongue until he reached the neckline of her nightgown. Then he slid his other hand off of her butt and slowly raised the material until she could feel the cold air hit her chest, hardening her nipples to even sharper points. He leaned in close, his hot breath fanning lightly over her breast, causing her skin to shiver. For an endless moment he remained still, doing absolutely nothing, until she started to pant with need. And then he finally put her out of her misery, his scorching mouth closing over one throbbing nipple while his fingers plucked at the other.

Lorissa moaned as exquisite pleasure washed through her, her hips grinding against his abdominals in response, seeking a reprieve from the agony as she instantly grew drenched. Her breasts had always been sensitive, sucking and biting on them long enough could make her orgasm without penetration. Her hands dropped down to grab him by the hair and pull him closer, he let out a growl that vibrated over her breast and made her even wetter. He let go of her nightgown to push his fingers between her legs and she obediently let her thighs fall open. He deftly reached inside of her panties and delicately rubbed his thumb against her clit, she rocked her hips into his hand with a groan and he rewarded her by inserting a pair of strong fingers inside of her quivering pussy.

Her head fell forward, her eyes opening to look down so she could watch him touch her. She froze when familiar brilliant gleaming blue eyes darkened by desire clashed with her own. A scintillating rush of heat hit her; it was Jace playing with her body like a master, not Venser. He held her gaze and sucked on her nipple hard, thrusting his fingers deep inside of her, his expression raw with lust. What he was doing felt so good, like always, he never failed to satisfy her and now was no exception. She didn’t even try to resist it. Instead she dug her nails into the cloth covering his shoulders and rolled her hips into his hand, her gasps perfectly mirroring the movements of his hand as he finger fucked her. He watched her with naked longing as he stroked and licked her, his chest heaving as her pussy started to cinch around his fingers.

Lorissa could feel the tension rising inside of her, his hot mouth insistently tugging on her nipple and the hard penetration of his fingers slipping inside of her driving her up the precipice to madness. The pleasure climbed with her until it was almost pain, her moans rising as she bucked her hips against his palm, feeling his fingers drive into her again and again until suddenly it was too much and she came. Her body arched as the intense orgasm washed over her; from far off she heard his answering groan as he felt her cum for him.

She sat straight up in her bed in shock, her breath coming fast and loud in the stillness of her bedroom. She glanced around in astonishment and realized it had been nothing more than a dream. Why the hell was she thinking of Jace now? Would he never be out of her thoughts? 

She’d been unable to sleep for the rest of the night, her mind whirling with her complicated reactions to the kiss. When she finally dragged herself out of bed that morning, she sincerely wished she knew how to use magic because her face was in desperate need of an illusion to cover up the dark circles under her haunted eyes. Every sleepless hour was etched onto her features. She had to settle for washing her face with cold water and using some concealer, although that almost made matters worse. She didn’t wear makeup often so she was awful at putting it on.

She made her way to Nivix, wondering what on earth she was going to say to Venser when she saw him. It would be inappropriate to have any sort of meaningful conversation about the matter while at work, but realistically she knew it was going to be impossible _not_ to talk about it at some point during the day. It wasn’t something she could just ignore, if he would even allow that to happen in the first place. She had no clue how he was going to behave.


	21. Chapter 21

He’d kissed her.

Venser still couldn’t quite believe he’d actually done it. Not that he hadn’t wanted to. He’d fantasized about just such an eventuality for weeks; of course things had always gone much further than one kiss in his imaginings. He wasn’t vain but he’d always assumed once they started making out, she would enjoy it enough to want to go all the way. He definitely had; he’d been ready to take her right there in the library if she’d have permitted it, that one kiss making him so hard he had ached with it. But she’d looked almost frightened when the kiss ended and it had taken every ounce of his willpower not to touch her again and try to persuade her to be his. He’d forced himself to let her leave, watching as she retreated from the room before he collapsed into the chair she’d sat in earlier.

He was worried he’d messed things up. From the first moment they’d met, he’d been attracted to her physically. Yes, it was partly due to her being naked at the time, but that first night when they’d had dinner at her parents’ place he’d gotten to see what she was like when her guard was down. She was warmth and light cloaked in a dark sense of humor and a cynical mind. Her lack of magic had forced her to be both isolated and guarded; most people on this plane looked down on her and could easily be a threat to her in more ways than one so she was careful to maintain a detached air and spent most of her time working. Thanks to being introduced to her in a setting where she felt safe, from the very beginning he’d known what was behind the walls she seemed to carry everywhere else.

Venser could relate to that need for self protection; he’d been the victim of manipulation more than once. He despised the feeling of rage and helplessness that came with realizing he’d been taken advantage of. Unfortunately most times it had been insurmountable enemies that had bent him to their will, so he’d never had the satisfaction of seeing them brought down by his own hands. The physical damages had healed over time, the psychological ones had faded but weren’t truly gone. He could understand her caution; he sincerely hoped she hadn’t experienced anything as awful as he had. Whatever had taken place with her former lover had left a mark; he could only hope it wasn’t a permanent one.

However, it was this very part of her nature that he assumed was the cause behind her running away tonight. He knew she’d enjoyed the kiss; Lorissa had been shyly returning it before abruptly pulling away. It hadn’t been a chaste kiss either; her mouth had looked as swollen as his crotch felt. Her nipples had puckered so they were visible beneath her dress; he’d been riveted and further aroused by her obvious response to their embrace. But even though her body was showing all signs pointed to yes, one look in her eyes had told him the answer was still no. She’d looked uncertain and shaken; he took solace in the notion that it was her reaction to the kiss that had alarmed her and not the actual kiss itself. She might not be against going to bed with him in the future, even if she wasn’t prepared to do it right now.

Of course this was all conjecture on his part, based on hope. She hadn’t yelled at him or slapped his face; she’d just run away. This left him with no idea how she was really feeling, no right to pursue her since they weren’t even dating and no clue how to proceed in the future. His gut told him to keep at it; perseverance had served him well in the past and his nature was rather focused once he had a goal in mind. He was just used to being able to invent something in order to gain an edge. This was one instance where he couldn’t engineer his way to a solution. 

He dropped his head down to lightly bang it against the desk, painfully aware he’d been a second away from banging her on there instead. He closed his eyes with a groan at the thought, and the subtle scent of her surrounded him. She spent hours a day sitting there and her smell permeated the air. He breathed in slowly, the urgent heat still simmering in his blood, making him feel reckless. He reached down to slide a hand over his cock; wincing at how sensitive it was, primed for sex. Just from one little kiss. Fucking her might kill him at this rate. But he was willing to risk it.

Venser was normally careful and cautious by nature, but at that moment he was operating on instinct rather than rationality. He didn’t stop to think about where he was; the library was normally deserted this time of night. He leaned back in the chair, his eyelids dropping halfway closed as he unfastened his pants and palmed his dick, the pressure as much a relief as a torment. He slowly started stroking himself as he pictured Lorissa sitting on the desk in front of him, her normally modest clothes stripped half off her delectable body, lovely legs spread wide for him. One of her hands was cupping her breast, rolling a perky nipple between her fingers, her other hand languidly sliding down to rest between her legs. She left it sitting still for a moment to tease him, her eyes locked on his expectantly. He growled and squeezed his dick a little harder, jerking faster until she let out a sigh of approval. Her hand finally dropped that last tiny bit of distance so she was touching herself, her small fingertips rubbing her clit as she watched him fist his cock until a thin stream of pre cum started sliding out. She panted at the sight and her pretty cunt clenched in anticipation.

He groaned as a ripple of longing pulsed through his throbbing erection and he tightened his grip, rapidly pumping his hand up and down while he imagined her breathy moans as she slipped a pair of fingers down into her pussy to match the pace he was setting. She was already slippery, her fingers glistening as they plunged inside, his eyes following the movements with hunger. Her whimpers of need ringing in his ears when she realized no matter how far she inserted them, it wasn’t enough, that she needed his cock inside her to be satisfied. He gritted his teeth as his shaft swelled in reaction, his breathing increasing along with the friction of his hand. The pleasure took on a sharp, ravenous edge. 

Venser’s hips began to flex urgently, his balls tightening as he imagined giving her what she so desperately wanted, slipping the tip of his engorged dick inside her tight, wet pussy, feeling her grind against him eagerly as she tried to take more of him inside. He shuddered, his free hand clenching down on the arm of the chair, as he thought about pulling her hips to the very edge of the desk while she begged him for more, a second before ramming himself all the way inside her. His cock began to pulse, his fingers clamped down tightly as he thrust harder and harder, her legs around his waist, her moans echoing in the air as he pounded into her hot cunt until he felt her walls spasm around him. He gasped as the orgasm hit him, intense spikes of ecstasy rippling up his spine and throughout his body as a stream of cum shot out of his cock, spraying across the desk and dripping down onto his lap, the chair and floor.

He collapsed back against the seat panting, light headed from the intensity of his ejaculation, his body feeling languid and relieved after the much needed release. It took him a few moments to collect his thoughts and he laughed in disbelief when he saw the mess he’d made. He grabbed the ends of his cloak and scrubbed his body before cleaning up the floor, desk and chair. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wondering what was going to happen the next time he saw Lorissa. He had no idea how she was going to react when they crossed paths again.

He knew she thought of him as a gentleman because of his kind and polite demeanor. But he was multifaceted like anyone else. A lot of women didn’t understand that nice guys could get horny as hell too. He’d wanted her for what felt like an eternity, although rationally he knew it had only been a matter of months. Every day it had become more difficult to ignore his attraction to her when they shared stimulating conversations or ridiculous jokes; kissing her had only been a matter of time and now that he’d done it, he wanted more. He wanted her in his bed and the privilege of waking up in hers. She made him feel at ease and alive, she made him laugh and think. He’d only ever had fleeting moments of happiness in the past; every day spent with her seemed to be full of such occasions.

He sincerely hoped that, no matter what happened now, their friendship would at least remain in tact. There had only been a handful of people in his life who had understood his sense of humor or been able to appreciate his intellect and even fewer people who had wanted nothing from him other than the gift of his company. The prospect of losing that closeness they’d developed was what had kept him in check the last couple of weeks, but his desire had overcome his better judgment when she’d been in his arms. Holding her against his body, feeling her soft curves had gone straight to his head and he’d made a move without thinking about the consequences. He didn’t think she was heartless enough to give him the cold shoulder if she decided he’d gone too far tonight, but he was concerned that things might never again be the way they once were. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be spending the next week in a bikini, bar or bed depending on how fun my vacation turns out to be, so no updates next Friday. I'll post the following Monday if I survive ;)


	22. Chapter 22

Lorissa was a bundle of nerves as she made her way into Nivix that morning. It was early like usual, only today she had arrived ahead of her general time. Venser had occasionally shown up to walk with her to work and she needed a little more space before she was able to deal with seeing him. She had selected an outfit that was even more sedate than normal, not an inch of skin was showing above the knee or below the shoulder blades. Although now that she stopped to look herself over, she realized she was wearing a lot of blue. And a dress. How the hell had that happened? Well, her guild’s colors were blue and red, so it was fine. Everything was fine.

She hurried up to Tabozav’s lab and made it there without running into anyone on the way. She was normally one of the first to arrive for work; today Tabozav wasn’t even there yet. She plopped down at a table and began going through her notes from the previous day. Lorissa loved her job, her lack of magical talent made her all the more fascinated by the workings of it and so it wasn’t long before she forgot her worries and focused exclusively on her research.

Thus she was oblivious when Venser walked in with a slight scowl on his face that vanished the second he saw her. He’d spent half the night wondering what to say to her on their walk together, only to find she had left her home before he arrived. He wasn’t sure what to make of that; he hoped she was only feeling shy and not angry. But his pride was stung that she seemed to be avoiding him and he found himself wondering if she didn’t find him attractive. He thought she’d enjoyed their kiss yesterday but maybe he was wrong.

He fully intended to ask her about it when he walked into Tabozav’s lab, but when he saw her, his brain just shut down. She normally dressed in tops and pants or long skirts. Today she was wearing an off the shoulder azure dress that had a white sash belt. The length of the skirt reached slightly above her knees thanks to her seated position, but he got an eyeful of leg anyway due to the side slits that nearly reached the approximate area of her hips. Although the bodice was modest enough to hide any cleavage, the neckline dipped just below the collarbones and conformed alluringly to her breasts. And the little straps falling off her shoulders made him want to slide the dress all the way down. It would be laughably easy to pull the top of it down and the bottom of it up and fuck her right there on that chair.

He swore under his breath as his dick popped up in its own form of greeting. Thankfully his pants were somewhat loose; the folds would hide most of the evidence of his arousal. He calmly approached her, trying not to drool as he took in all the delicious lines of her body that were artfully showcased by the outfit. But he was definitely feeling encouraged by the ensemble, he couldn’t recall seeing her dressed this way before.

“Good morning,” he murmured and then had to suppress a chuckle when she gave a little yelp of surprise.

Lorissa spun to face Venser, completely forgetting she was trying to avoid him in her agitation. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! Do you want to give me heart failure?”

He wanted to give her something alright, but was too wise to say so. He didn’t have a lot of experience dating, but he knew a bit about people and this woman was no easy lay. If a man got her into bed, it was because that’s where she wanted to be. Pushing her would do no good; it might even have negative consequences.

So he simply smiled at her and apologized; then as soon as her body language looked more relaxed, he got to what was on his mind. “I hope I didn’t offend you last night. That wasn’t my intention.”

Wow, he was just jumping right into it, Lorissa thought as she blinked at him in surprise. Some cowardly part of her had hoped they could just never talk about what had happened; they could just go on working together as if the kiss had never taken place. She wasn’t exactly used to rejecting men and she didn’t honestly know what she wanted, except that right now it felt too soon. So, she decided to be as blunt as he was.

“You didn’t,” she admitted, forcing herself to meet his gaze even as she felt her cheeks heat up remembering the last time they had faced each other. She was very careful not to look at his sexy mouth. “The truth is, I just got out of a really confusing…I’m not sure what to even call it. Relationship seems grossly incorrect. Anyway, I made some terrible decisions during that time and it illuminated a few flaws in me that I need to work on before I can be with anyone else.”

Venser gleaned a wealth of information in her brief explanation. Someone had hurt her, pretty recently. Or maybe she had hurt herself by investing too much into something that had failed; he wasn’t quite sure which was the case. Either way, she was naturally hesitant to start anything with him and as much as he regretted it, he could understand where she was coming from. He certainly didn’t want to get involved with her while she had feelings for someone else. He didn’t generally do casual anything; he had an intensely focused personality and he was certain that included when it came to dating. So it looked like he was going to have to wait to get what he wanted.

He hated that; mostly because it seemed like every aspect of his life was on hold. He had no memory of arriving on this plane, he hadn’t been able to Walk the one or two times he’d tried, and his magic answered his call but felt like a shadow of it’s former potency. He was starting to get vague recollections of moments following his last meeting with Karn; he presumed he’d have died at that point yet here he was. In various stages of his life he’d been manipulated by others more powerful than him and he was starting to suspect something like that might have happened again. He wished he could talk with Elspeth or any of his other close allies. But he seemed to be on his own here. And now, he couldn’t even distract himself with this woman who had engaged his mind and body. What else could he do though, but respect her wishes?

So he told her what she needed to hear; that he understood what she was saying and there was no pressure from him. Because he realized her comments didn’t mean no; they meant not now. She’d been obviously relieved and they had fallen into their old working routing but he’d felt a keen pang of loss all day.

* * *

Jace was surprised to find that there were several mages still in the library at Nivix, most of them stopped to openly stare at him as he made his way through the rows of books. His identity as Guildpact was not common knowledge, but he exuded an air of confident power that other practitioners generally recognized and his magical abilities had led him to recognition among certain circles. He also was not wearing any of the guild’s insignia and visitors to the area were few, far between and usually accompanied by someone. He was freely moving through as if he had a right to be there, because he did thanks to his invitation. No one dared to interfere with his progress due to his personal aura of prowess, but a couple of mages quietly exited the library to take news of his presence to Niv-Mizzet.

Jace didn’t notice; he had his attention trained ahead of him as he rounded the final corner and Lorissa’s desk came into view. She was there, just as he’d expected, but he still wasn’t prepared for his reaction to the sight of her. She was wearing some feminine little blue dress that seemed to simultaneously conceal and expose her dainty body. He’d been partially aroused since arriving at Nivix, now that he saw her, his dick stood at attention, swelling to painful dimensions. His hands itched to run over her perky breasts, around her slim waist, along her curvaceous ass and down her toned legs.

Her pretty face wore an expression of utter attention, her full lips slightly parted as she focused her almond shaped brown eyes intently on something to her right. Jace found himself curious as to what she was looking at, so he followed her gaze. He was startled and deeply displeased to discover it was a man. A tall, solidly built, ruggedly handsome man who was standing much too close to her.

Who the fuck was this? 


	23. Chapter 23

Venser had been observing Lorissa’s work on her personal project for an improved spellbook for several weeks and he’d immediately understood it was going to be a complicated undertaking. As an inventor himself he loved just such a challenge. Being very gifted at teleportation and closely tied to it, he’d been pleased to find she’d realized it would be a necessary property in the creation of the book. Despite her inability to use magic, she seemed to have an innate understanding of the working principles behind it. He’d readily volunteered to help her with that aspect of the making of the book, delighted to be able to do something for her. He was somewhat of a master when it came to teleportation; many mages might have the ability to teleport but none with his degree of affinity.

Lorissa was glad that he might be able to help her with a portion of the spellbook creation; it was turning out to be more daunting than she’d originally surmised it would be. She was even happier that he seemed to have completely accepted her need for space for the time being. After their discussion this morning, he had gone back to behaving like his usual friendly, inquisitive self. She’d been concerned it might be too awkward to work together now that they were both aware of one another on a physical level, but the day had progressed smoothly and she felt as comfortable around him as she had before their kiss.

Venser wasn’t feeling as unaffected as he appeared, having lapsed into fantasizing about her more than once over the course of the day. He was good at concealing it, especially when he truly valued how well they interacted. It wasn’t very often he met a woman who stimulated his mind as much as his body; he wasn’t willing to lose their closeness just for sex. He could wait. He was running over an idea for a minor summoning spell to bind into the book, basking in the way she looked him in the eye to acknowledge she was listening, when he got a distinctly uneasy sensation that someone was staring at him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he instinctively glanced around the shelves of books.

* * *

Jace was rooted to the ground, glaring at the scene in front of him. The stranger was leaning into Lorissa as he spoke to her, his body turned towards her, the attraction obvious to anyone who happened to be watching. While she wasn’t doing anything flirtatious, she wasn’t moving away from him either. Jace’s blood that had been racing with anticipation quickly boiled over into fury, his hands clenching into fists at his side, his magical aura spiking with his agitation. He could feel the violence rising within him, his power writhing with the need to lash out. And then Lorissa laughed at something the other man said and Jace let out an involuntary growl. He felt something very unpleasant, almost painful, blossom in his chest when he saw how Lorissa was smiling at the man who was talking to her. He wanted to put his fist through the other guy's face. Didn't she know what the asshole was thinking about from the way he was looking at her? She was so naive.

His towering rage actually brought him to his senses; he despised being out of control and the second he realized how easily his emotions were engaged by the situation, he reined them in sharply. He had a reputation to maintain; he was the Living Guildpact and he refused to quarrel with some mage in the ranks of one of the guilds he governed. Niv-Mizzet would never let him live it down if he made a scene. He closed his eyes and took several calming breaths before he trusted himself to approach the pair.

He was watching Lorissa’s face intently as he drew near, deliberately ignoring the presence of the other man, his earlier eagerness to see her rising up again now that his anger was under wraps. It was the guy who noticed him first though, turning to face Jace as he approached, subtly shifting so that his body was slightly in front of Lorissa’s in a gesture so overtly protective it set Jace’s teeth on edge.

When the man said, “Can I help you,” as if he had every right to speak on her behalf, Jace nearly lost it all over again but he forced himself to calmly reply, “I’m here to see the lady.”

Lorissa’s head snapped up in surprise at the sound of his voice. It was gratifying to see the way her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed when their gazes met; so she remembered their previous meetings as well as he did it seemed. This other guy, whoever he was, hadn’t managed to wipe away the memory of their time together. Jace was fiercely glad; although the more rational part of his brain pointed out that he’d planned on coming here to be “just acquaintances” with her. He shrugged it off, unwilling to share her with anyone else even though he’d ignored her for months. Some part of him must have thought she was sitting around waiting for him, that no one else would go after her since she lacked any kind of magical talent. It was an arrogant, rude mistake he now realized. There was much more to her that made up for her deficiency of power and apparently someone else had noticed this as well.

Lorissa couldn’t believe her eyes. After months of no interactions or communications of any kind, Jace was once again making an appearance in her life. It was just like him to show up without warning, only this time it was even more awkward because Venser was there. A man she had just kissed yesterday. A multitude of conflicting emotions roiled inside of her as always when she saw the blue mage, but conscious of her companion and also that she was at work, she did her best to keep her feelings in check. After this long, she could only assume he was there at the behest of Niv-Mizzet.

“What did my Guildmaster send you here for this time,” she asked, not even bothering to greet him, proud of the even tone to her voice when what she really wanted to do was scream at him for daring to show his face to her again after so casually vanishing from her life.

Although the tone was mild, the words were like a lash, and Jace winced even as he knew he couldn’t blame her for her disdain. He’d put her out of his life, if not his thoughts. Although to be fair, he’d never really allowed her into anything but his bed. He wasn’t sure if he was even capable of that sort of trust and sharing anymore; he’d been betrayed too many times to count and he was afraid of opening himself up to anyone. Even more so with her, he got the feeling she could destroy him if he wasn’t careful.

“Actually I have a meeting with him later, I just thought I would…see how you’ve been,” he finished lamely, floundering as always and unable to retain his wits in her presence.

She saw red at the response; outraged at his casual assumption that he could pop in and out of her life on a whim. And now that she knew this particular visit wasn’t on behalf of her parun, she was free to reveal her ire. “As you can see, I am doing quite well. Life goes on, and so do I.”

At her sharp tone of voice, there was a stirring in the mages beyond the bookcases around her desk. The few remaining archivists were not used to hearing her speak in agitation; or at all since she was normally quiet and kept to herself. There was the sound of hushed footfalls as at least one person approached her desk and glanced around the corner to make sure everything was alright. As much as they might resent her status, she was still a part of the guild and therefore to be protected if necessary.

Jace realized she was going to flay him alive in front of a growing audience at this rate; he should have considered how she viewed his tendency to run from their encounters. For him it was a survival mechanism thanks to all the abuse in his past; for her it had to be an insult of incredible magnitude now that he thought about it. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make peace with her, or even if he deserved to once he reflected on how utterly callous he’d been. But it wasn’t in him to simply give up a fight, and now that there was clearly someone else waiting in the wings he didn’t have the luxury of standing down if he wanted to see her again. “That makes one of us.”

Lorissa’s heart sped up at the soft statement, but she refused to weaken her defenses. He had been far too casual in his disregard of her in the past. She didn’t want to fight with him in the library of Nivix; suddenly acutely aware of the stares they were drawing from other mages in the area. “I don’t want to discuss it,” she sighed, gesturing vaguely around them.

“Tomorrow night then, your place,” Jace pressed, sensing the slight opening in her guard, surprised by his boldness but not willing to let the chance escape. “There are things I want to say.”

She owed him nothing and yet, as always, found it impossible to resist him. For some unknown reason, his ability to erode her will continued to be strong as ever. She hesitantly nodded and Jace was careful to maintain a blank expression even though inside his heart was pounding in relief and anticipation. He decided to retreat while he was ahead and with a nod of farewell to the two of them, he took his leave before she could change her mind. 

Venser was initially confused by the appearance of the other guy who had approached them with obvious purpose and careless confidence. This was a man who seemed at once sure of himself and yet strangely apprehensive. He moved with the arrogance of one who had power; in fact Venser could feel it radiating off of him in potent waves and he wondered if this man was a walker like him. He wondered who he was and what he was doing on this plane, and more importantly if perhaps he could be of help to Venser. As soon as Lorissa started talking to the guy though, Venser understood exactly who he was. This was the “complicated” relationship that had left her feeling hurt and confused, and any thought of cooperating with the other man faded to the background. Useful or not, this person was standing in the way of any future with Lorissa, and thus Venser’s enemy.

* * *

“Your pawn has met the king piece,” the energetic young man reported to his gargantuan guest by way of greeting, glancing about him at the nearly colorless landscape that had been chosen for their meeting.

“Sooner than I had anticipated, with the way that boy is flitting around the corners of the multiverse.”

“It’s because of a woman if you ask me,” the dark haired male muttered, pacing around in agitation. “Utterly ridiculous really; the way he runs to and from her.”

The huge head turned piercing eyes on him. “Is this the same female you spoke of previously?”

The man nodded, the frizzed waves of his hair seeming to dance in excitement as latent electricity stirred the air around him. “At first I thought it was a coincidence the way he seemed to bump into her all the time; now I think he’s seeking her out whether he realizes it or not.”

“Another piece to play with, perhaps you should look into using her to continue to distract him,” the planeswalker mused. “And you say she has met my little pawn as well?”

“I think the Izzet League Parun is behind it,” the man replied, a frown on his face as he stared off into the distance. “He seems to spend a lot of time poking into her private life. I’m not sure what his angle is though.”

“He’s a dragon, isn’t he,” the great being blandly responded. “The angle is power boy, it always is. Through information, manipulation and any other resources at hand.”


	24. Chapter 24

Niv-Mizzet had not expected Jace to seek out Lorissa again. He rarely overlooked a possibility when crafting tactics, in fact every plan he considered had multiple contingency paths in place. Yet when it came to the designs he had laid out for his little mundane archivist, he discovered he’d been making miscalculations left and right.

For some time he had been observing Jace Beleren, even before his ascendance to status as the Living Guildpact. The human boy was a mystery; his life on Ravnica an abrupt line of appearing and disappearing over time. For one as old as the Firemind, such an oddity was intriguing in that it kept life interesting. Where did the man go and more importantly, how? Once Jace became the Guildpact, Niv’s interest in him increased. To have such a tool at his disposal would be useful indeed.

When he had first run across Lorissa, it was a whim to try and find her a mate. She was intelligent and shrewd with a work ethic he had rarely seen in one of so few years. It took him very little time to discover she also had influential family members in many of the guilds. Having her loyalty had its uses and a possibility for more in the future. Why not see to her happiness and use her to secure the fealty of her mate as well, once he had an adequate one in mind.

Jace had shown up while the Dracogenius was trying to decide upon a companion for her and he had instantly known it would be in his best interest to tie the Guildpact to his guild. What better way than by pairing him up with the industrious Lorissa deCar; he could kill two birds with one stone. In his experience, human males were exceedingly rash when their hormones were engaged. It was possible by introducing the two of them; nature would take its course without more than a nudge or two by the dragon. Both Jace and Lorissa were attractive enough members of their species; she did have the fault of lacking magic but the Firemind had a hunch such a flaw could be overlooked in the short term. Long enough for the man to fall for her. Of course, he knew almost nothing about Jace on a personal level; only what his minions had learned while tailing the elusive mage. Still, he didn’t think the man would be a threat to her.

So he had orchestrated their initial meeting and then watched first in amusement, then amazement and finally in abhorrence as Jace proceeded to take an obvious physical attraction between them with a promise of something more and run it into the ground. The man was a complete idiot when it came to Lorissa; the reserve and level headedness that Jace seemed to normally possess vacated the premises every time he was around her. He said the most arrogant, selfish, baffling things to her that the dragon had ever heard. Granted, the Dracogenius was only privy to parts of their conversations that took place in the library or when she was carrying around one of the guild insignias. But it was often enough that he realized Jace was damaged and wary in the relationship department. Niv-Mizzet was going to have to find another way to bind him to the Izzet League.

It was annoying having to admit defeat, particularly when his archivist was the one suffering due to his poor judgment in picking a mate for her. She was too professional to let her personal problems ruin the quality of her work, but it was easy to see when he visited her that she was feeling sad and confused. She seemed to have developed a sudden doubt about her own self worth, which the dragon could lay directly at the feet of the Mind Sculptor and therefore at his own feet as well. 

When Venser had seemingly fallen into the Firemind’s lap, he had been delighted with the opportunity to bind another tool to him and restore Lorissa’s formerly strong self confidence. This new man was definitely a traveler; or a Walker as they liked to call themselves according to the person he had located who was discretely investigating such things. His henchman had been able to confirm as much with an outside source who had been feeding the dragon reliable information about the subject for months. Although Venser was no Living Guildpact, he was still well worth investing in.

And so Niv-Mizzet had agreed to allow the man the use of his library, with every intention of calling in the favor the Sojourner would owe him. He had been most pleased to discover the fellow already knew Lorissa and had ties to her family, it made the task so much easier to start. The two worked well together and complimented one another in ways that had never been apparent or allowed to develop with the Architect of Thought. But the pace was incredibly slow, and the dragon had begun trying to think of a way to speed things along when Jace suddenly showed up in the library to see Lorissa.

Now the Dracogenius was undecided as to what to do; a position he rarely found himself in. While Jace was the far more powerful piece to have at hand, past encounters between the man and Lorissa seemed to clearly indicate anything between them was doomed to fail. Venser, although not nearly as powerful, appeared to be much more suited to her. He was just taking an eternity to do anything about it.

Niv-Mizzet pondered the matter as he absent mindedly listened in to the awkward conversation between Jace and Lorissa, viewing the issue from as many angles as he could muster given that he knew little about human romance, before he finally concluded he should settle on the more reliable Venser and give the man a bit of a push.

To this end, he summoned one of his brightest and most ambitious mages, the rather reckless Ral Zarek. The young man was headstrong and given to bouts of impetuousness, but he had an abiding loyalty to the guild overall. And he was incredibly powerful in his own right. Niv-Mizzet had drawn his own conclusions about the nature of the young man but given that he still didn’t completely understand those who were able to cross dimensions, he kept his deductions to himself.

Ral looked bored and impatient when he answered the summons, but he gave a bow that was deferential enough to let him live to see another day. “Greetings, my liege.”

The dragon snorted at the feigned subservience, well aware that this man was every bit as arrogant as he was himself. His usefulness kept him alive and in favor. “I have a chore for you. Venser, the man that I had you look into previously, is going to be in residence in our library for some time. He’s under the care of one of the archivists by the name of Lorissa deCar. I would like for you to…encourage a pairing between them.”

If the Dracogenius had asked him to dress up a pig and kiss it, Ral couldn’t have been more surprised. He, like many in the guild, had noticed the parun’s unusual interest in the personal life of the female. She had passable good looks and seemed intelligent enough, but her lack of magic made her unremarkable for the most part. He couldn’t understand what about her drew the Firemind’s attention for the life of him, although now he began to suspect the dragon was using her as a means to enlisting outside talent into the guild. It wasn’t a terrible idea, but the choice of bait seemed odd to Ral.

And being asked to play matchmaker was beneath him. He had enough on his plate, not only on this plane but in his exploration of others as well. But he couldn’t very well go against the guildmaster’s wishes; at least not directly. He might not be thrilled with the thought of acting like a chaperone but it would give him a chance to more thoroughly study Venser, who he recognized as a Planeswalker albeit different from himself.

He was about to respond to the dragon when the doors to the inner aerie burst open and the Living Guildpact strode in. Ral had conflicted feelings about Jace. He respected the other man’s powers and intellect as much as he envied them. He also had a bit of an axe to grind thanks to the way the other mage constantly seemed to interfere with or alter Ral’s plans. The two had an uneasy truce due to their positions and following Ral’s discovery of their shared nature. But he didn’t like the man much.

Niv-Mizzet acknowledged the impatient entrance with a droll, “Do come in.”

Jace had the grace to look disconcerted for a moment, as if he hadn’t realized how forcefully he’d entered the room. Then he cloaked the uncharacteristic sign of weakness behind a bored expression and said, “I’m a little early for our meeting; if you don’t mind I have a question for you before we get started.”

Ral sighed, aware that in his obvious state of agitation, the other man hadn’t even noticed his presence yet. Niv-Mizzet glanced at Ral in amusement before saying, “Go on.”

They both watched in surprise as the Living Guildpact began to pace back and forth in agitation. “There’s a man in your library working with archivist deCar. Who is he?”

The dragon was rarely caught off guard and yet this human continued to manage it at every turn. “He’s visiting from the Azorius Senate, his name is Venser. Why do you ask?”

Jace waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, but the Dracogenius knew his curiosity had to be due to Lorissa. Perhaps the man had deeper feelings for her than he realized. It was a shame he was too emotionally stunted to see them.

Ral, still unnoticed by the distracted mage, also had a similar conclusion based on his own various observations, although he didn’t understand what could have possibly drawn the powerful man to a plain human woman. There could be no doubt that was the case though. And suddenly, the idea of putting the young lady with Venser grew infinitely more appealing. It would give him a chance to finally thwart the man who had been a constant annoyance since the day they’d met. And it would further other plans he already had in motion.


	25. Chapter 25

Venser normally considered himself to be a patient man; someone who respected the privacy of others and tried not to push personal boundaries unless absolutely necessary. However that did not seem to extend to someone he was interested in romantically, because the instant the other man left, he found himself fighting down the urge to simply demand who the guy was. He knew it was her ex, of course. What he was curious about was where the two of them stood at the moment. There were obviously some unresolved issues between them; something Lorissa had hinted at previously but Venser hadn’t thought it would be an ongoing problem because he’d assumed the man was out of her life. That didn’t appear to be the case; although in her defense she looked as shocked by his arrival as Venser felt, which meant she clearly hadn’t planned on seeing him again.

He watched Lorissa’s face as she stared at the retreating back of the man in blue. She could never be accused of being a duplicitous person; her expression betrayed her every thought. She looked confused, upset and uncertain. He didn’t care for the naked vulnerability she was showing; he’d known that she’d been hurt by her previous relationship but he’d hoped she was on the path to mending. Right now she seemed raw; maybe it was just running into her former lover again that made the pain seem so fresh in her eyes. Whatever the case might be, he didn’t like it at all since it was an obstacle to any chance he might have with her.

“So, care to tell me who that was,” he asked in as casual a tone as he could manage, wanting confirmation from her.

Lorissa flinched in surprise, her gaze abruptly swinging to his. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she debated what to tell him. She had never thought to see Jace again; let alone have to explain anything about him to Venser. She blinked rapidly as she sorted through multiple responses before lamely settling on, “He’s someone I used to…be with.”

Venser sighed but was careful to keep a neutral expression in place. “Since you don’t strike me as the type who is “with” many people, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess he’s the complicated situation you mentioned to me before.”

Although Lorissa could feel her face heating up even more when he so easily understood who Jace was, she was relieved he had guessed the truth without her having to get into any real details. She nodded hesitantly. “I’m not sure why he came here, and I’m sorry you had to see that. I normally keep my personal and work life separate.”

He held up a hand to stop her from going any further, even though he wanted to know much more. “It’s alright; I can wait until you’re comfortable enough to talk about this. I just wanted to let you know, there’s no pressure from me. I’ll be here when you’re ready, for anything.”

A surge of gratefulness rose up in her, suffusing her with warmth for this kind, gentle man. She impulsively leaned in and hugged him, forgetting for a moment that she was at work and had already drawn a small crowd with her earlier set down of Jace. Although Venser was aware of the presence of the other mages, he was pleased to be on the receiving end of a sign of physical affection from her so he didn’t particularly care who was watching. The other Izzet members, seeing that the situation seemed to have diffused with the departure of the man in blue, dispersed rather than staying to witness such an intimate interaction, although in the morning the rumors would start flying in earnest.

Lorissa, overwrought and confused by her conflicting feelings for Jace, was so thankful to have the patient Venser by her side that she stayed in his embrace probably longer than appropriate. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart while his strong arms held her close and made her feel safe. Venser kept telling himself that this embrace didn’t mean anything; he was a smart man and recognized she was floundering after seeing her former lover. Someone less scrupulous might have taken advantage of her vulnerability; he was touched she had chosen to share it with him but also aware it would be too easy to mistake the moment for something it was not. 

“Well isn’t this cozy,” an amused voice startled Lorissa into pulling out of Venser’s embrace, her eyes wide as she turned to face the speaker.

A leanly built man in the brilliant red and blue colors of the guild was regarding them with a definite smirk. His frazzled dark hair streaked through with grey and white identified him to Lorissa immediately, although she recognized him on sight anyway. Ral Zarek was one of the Firemind’s favorite mages; possessing a brilliant mind even in a guild full of geniuses. He was rumored to be temperamental and impetuous; she wouldn’t know personally since she’d only ever seen him from a distance before. She wondered what had brought him to the library; it wasn’t a place he was given to haunting. She hurriedly stepped away from Venser, aware how unprofessional she had looked standing in a man’s arms while at work. She sincerely hoped he didn’t mention anything to the guildmaster.

“How may I be of assistance sir,” she asked as she forced herself to meet his gaze, conscious of his much higher rank in the guild.

Their eyes locked and his smirk turned first to a sneer, and then dwindled to something more thoughtful when she refused to lower her eyes or be cowed by his arrogant demeanor. He knew men capable of wielding magic who didn’t have as much spine as this powerless girl. “Our parun received numerous reports that a stranger had made his way into the library and was making some sort of scene with you; but this is the man you were assigned to help from the Senate correct?”

She nodded once in affirmation. “Yes sir, the person you are referring to was on his way to a meeting with the guildmaster but stopped by to talk with me since he’d arrived too early.”

He began to pace around the area in front of her desk; examining her closely as he walked. He preferred men himself, and he couldn’t see what might have attracted the Living Guildpact to her. She was pretty enough he supposed, but she had nothing substantial to offer in the way of power besides her ties to other guilds. He was genuinely curious as to what had drawn the two of them to one another. “And why might that be?”

Her cheeks took on a red tinge but her gaze never wavered when she answered, “Niv-Mizzet had asked me to assist him with a project in the past, and we stayed in touch after.”

Ral arched an eyebrow, thinking the two of them must have kept very much in touch indeed, for the kind of scene some of the Izzet mages had reported seeing. The man had swept into the library like a storm and been exuding so much power when he talked with Lorissa that he’d interrupted some of the experiments being carried out near the library, the pulses of his energy disrupting them completely. Apparently he’d made some sort of declaration to the girl that had earned him a set down and he’d taken his leave. Most of the people present didn’t know who Jace was, but of course Ral did. He’d made a habit of keeping loose tabs on the Living Guildpact and was also aware that this was not even close to being the first time the Mind Sculptor had sought out Lorissa. They had, in fact, met on various occasions that he presumed ended in trysts, although he’d never actually gotten a detailed look nor had anyone trailing Jace. The man was simply too good at monitoring his surroundings; if anyone got too close they would be identified and Ral wasn’t about to risk his own machinations on a curiosity.

Behind her, the other Planeswalker, Venser, was watching him warily. The man was big, solid and good looking. If Ral hadn’t already been taken, he would have been tempted to assist him with his research personally. But he was quite content in his relationship and, if appearances were to be believed, the man’s interest was already engaged by the young woman at his side. Niv-Mizzet’s wish for Venser to be paired with Lorissa was going to take hardly any effort on Ral’s part as far as he could tell.

“Try not to make any more scenes at work,” he finally admonished her, although he kept his tone dispassionate to dull the effect. He turned his attention fully to the other man. “I’m Ral Zarek, by the way. I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

Venser was feeling protective of Lorissa, he wasn’t sure if this man was a friend or foe to her although it was apparent he was her superior in the guild. Best to play nice for her sake. “Venser.”

A man of few words it seemed, Ral mused, his polite smile in place as he studied the other man. The quiet ones could be dangerous. “Niv-Mizzet wanted me to check on you. How is your research coming along?”

“Fine,” Venser answered cautiously, something about the Magewright putting him on edge.

“Excellent,” Ral replied, wondering exactly how tedious conversations must be with a man who gave only one word responses. He felt sorry for Lorissa. “I’ll be taking my leave, but the Guildmaster has asked that you pay him a visit tonight Venser.”

And with that pronouncement, Ral turned and strode out of the room. He was not looking forward to assisting the pair in partnering up. Not only was he not a matchmaker, he had no idea how there could be any chemistry between a powerless human and an introverted Planeswalker. He had told Niv-Mizzet he would do his best, but he really thought the relationship was dead in the water. But, to get in the way of Jace’s plans for the girl, whatever they might be, he was willing to give it a go. 


	26. Chapter 26

Lorissa was deeply relieved to see Ral Zarek depart. They belonged to the same guild so she wasn’t exactly afraid of him, but he was known for being impetuous, volatile and intense. Like most Izzet mages, things around him tended to end up in pieces. She did not want to be the subject of his scrutiny for any reason. And she certainly didn’t want him paying any attention to what went on in her personal life, which seemed to have gone from nonexistent to an explosive disaster in less than an hour, and all of it taking place at work to boot. Behind her she sensed Venser returning to his seat and she realized she had one thing to thank Ral for. His appearance had interrupted the awkward conversation between the two of them for the time being. She recognized that Venser was exhibiting extreme patience, but he didn’t exactly have a claim on her either.

She glanced back over her shoulder, taking in his tousled dark hair and intelligent hazel blue eyes. He was once again wearing the blue and white colors of the Azorius Senate, his clothing loose and comfortable yet doing nothing to hide his broad shoulders and fit physique. She could do far worse than a man like him, in every way. He was brilliant, funny, sexy and kind. Other women would trample over her to get a piece of him. If she wasn’t such a hot mess inside of her head at the moment, she would have been tempted to take what he offered. But she didn’t have to think twice to understand he deserved better than that.

So did she, for that matter. As great as Venser was, if she got into anything with him it wouldn’t end well. She wasn’t ready; she’d let herself down in her dealings with Jace in more ways than one. First she’d jumped into a sexual encounter with a complete stranger, then she’d expected far too much from a perfectly casual series of interactions when she should have known better. Something about him had made her vulnerable; he’d slipped past defenses she’d had in place for years and he hadn’t been trying to. Or perhaps she’d gotten tired of being alone and had allowed her guard to drop.

Until she was able to understand her failings and restore her belief in herself, she wasn’t a fit partner for anyone. She’d yet to figure out what had driven her to such mad behavior with the man; she’d been sexually attracted to other men and able to retain her sanity. When it came to Jace, she seemed to be stripped of common sense. She couldn’t put her finger on why that would be, either. Their interactions had been predominantly sexual; maybe he just did it for her on an unequaled level.

Contemplating such thoughts while in the presence of Venser made her feel acutely uncomfortable, so with a sigh she shelved her issues with Jace for the moment and went back to her desk. Venser glanced up at her with an easy smile as she approached; she felt something warm flare to life inside her at the casual gesture. She started gathering her notes up, looking at him out of the corner of her eye as he did the same. It was the beginning of their nightly ritual; normally he would follow her around while she put things away.

Tonight she turned to him and said, “You should go see Niv-Mizzet; he’s not known for being favorably inclined towards those who keep him waiting.”

His smile faded to be replaced by a grimace, but he nodded and stood up with a sigh. “You’re right; he’s been kind enough to allow me the use of this place and your time. Will you be alright walking home?”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him with a bright smile of her own. “If I’m really worried, I can just summon Nix here.”

Neither of them mentioned that he hadn’t escorted her home last night.

“No sense putting if off then I suppose,” he grumbled, giving her a rueful grin. “No offense, but your guildmaster is intimidating; on multiple levels.”

She laughed and winked at him. “He’s a dragon; I think it comes with the territory. And I would have chosen terrifying to describe him.”

Venser looked surprised at her admission. “Really? But you two seem to be close.”

Lorissa shrugged as she finished gathering up her work. “That doesn’t change what he is, or what I am. He’s lived for thousands of years; I’m a blink of the eye in his life. Even if he regards me as some sort of pet project, his nature is still that of an apex predator. The moment I cease to be amusing or valuable, I think I know where I stand.”

Venser was stunned by her pragmatism but the rational part of him understood she was probably correct. Particularly given his own experience with dragons. But it was a grim reminder to tread lightly with the Parun of the Izzet League, no matter how helpful he had been thus far. It was very unlikely the dragon was helping him for altruistic reasons.

Still, he recognized her explanation as something else as well. Another wall put into place to guard herself. He wondered if she ever let anyone in.

It wasn’t a discussion to have at the moment, so he told her good night and made his way through Nivix to the aerie of the Dracogenius. He suspected the dragon was going to call in his favor; he couldn’t think of another reason Niv-Mizzet wouldn’t have simply visited him in the library to discuss it. The guildmaster seemed very open around Lorissa most of the time; in Venser’s opinion the Parun regarded her as someone to trust. Whatever it was the dragon wanted to discuss, he obviously wanted kept from her, a thought that made Venser distinctly uneasy. He didn’t care for the idea of keeping more secrets from her than he already was. He wanted to tell her everything about himself, but at the same time he knew handling the truth might be too much for her right now. He had to wait until there was more solid foundation between the two of them.

As he entered the enormous aerie, he strode past tall gleaming walls of blue and red lined with runes. Books and unrolled scrolls littered various areas on the ground; obviously tossed there after being read. Ahead of him, he spotted the enormous crimson form of the dragon, scales glittering in the light thrown off by glowing globes that hovered along the walls. Niv-Mizzet was gigantic, as all of his species tended to become with age, and the aerie had been built to accommodate his natural size so it took Venser quite a while to cross over within talking distance of the great reptile.

Niv-Mizzet looked up as he approached; he respectfully bowed to the guildmaster before saying, “You requested an audience?”

The dragon waved a taloned hand and the tome he was perusing snapped shut and drifted down to the ground. “How goes the research?”

The question seemed innocuous, but Venser had discovered that nothing with dragons ever was. What could the guildmaster be hoping to glean from this? Venser knew the Dracogenius had some knowledge of Planeswalkers; how was the question. Perhaps he thought Venser was researching a means to walk off this plane; which would have been an accurate assumption. Since waking, Venser had been able to call on his power, but it was limited and thus far he hadn’t been successful at walking. How he had any magic left after granting his spark to Karn was a mystery to him. His investigation had been multifaceted; he was trying to figure out where and when he was; how he was alive and how or if he was going to get his full power back.

“I’ve run across one or two methods of memory restoration but so far nothing appears to be working, exactly as I need it to,” he said, careful not to lie. 

The Firemind regarded him with shrewd eyes for a moment before replying, “How unfortunate. But Lorissa has been of use to you?”

In spite of his need for caution, Venser found himself smiling at the mention of her, flooded with warmth and appreciation. “Absolutely. She’s made time to help me out between all of her other duties.”

“Yes that one is almost entirely all work no play,” the Dracogenius mused. “Although you seem to find her amusing.”

Venser could hardly deny that, even though discussing it with the looming dragon seemed ludicrous. Why would the guildmaster care? The Parun did seem to have an interest in her that Venser still didn’t understand. “She is relaxing; I enjoy her company,” he finally admitted when he realized Niv-Mizzet was waiting for an answer.

The reptilian visage split into what could only be described as a smirk, causing a feeling of dread to well up in the Sojourner’s stomach. “Excellent. Then I request my favor of you at this time. You are to court the archivist Lorissa deCar.”


	27. Chapter 27

In the eternity of moments following the dragon’s request, Venser nearly asked if the Dracogenius was out of his mind. However common sense prevailed and he avoided saying something that would likely get him eaten, instead blurting out, “You can’t be serious.”

Niv-Mizzet arched a plated eyebrow at him, his expression still placid but also implacable. “Do I strike you as the sort to waste my time with a joke?”

The man ran a hand down his face and began to dazedly pace across the wide chambers, obviously reeling with confusion. “When you said I’d owe you a favor, I had no idea it could be something like this.”

The Firemind folded his legs beneath him to sprawl down across the decorative floor of the aerie, head cocked to one side. “Do you object to what I ask?”

Venser snorted at him. “Of course I do.”

The dragon slowly dragged one enormous talon across the ground, an absentminded gesture that nonetheless reeked of threat. “Why? It’s not as if you don’t already have an interest in the female.”

The man opened his mouth to protest, then realized it was pointless because the Dracogenius already knew the truth. “That’s different,” he finally answered.

“I don’t see how,” Niv-Mizzet chided, as gently as he ever did, the effect somewhat ruined by the enormous fangs in his great mouth. “You have feelings for her; I am simply giving you further incentive to pursue them.”

Venser narrowed his eyes at the dragon; even though that was technically the truth he didn’t want his hand to be forced. “Why should you be interested in any of this?”

The Firemind tried to blink innocently, but it looked ridiculous on the great reptilian visage. “I’m merely interested in the well being of my guild servant.”

The man snorted, his suspicions mounting by the second. “Can you tell me the names of anyone else in the library that sits near Lorissa’s desk?”

The Parun couldn’t and they both knew it. He was trying to decide if he was displeased or approving of Venser’s perceptive and difficult nature. Even though the human seemed quite scatter brained around Lorissa, it was obvious he was incredibly shrewd when not distracted. This was simply further proof in the dragon’s mind that having him bound to the guild would be beneficial. “Fine, let’s just say I have an interest in her particular well being. She has highly influential family members throughout the various guilds. And she is quite useful herself to one of my most powerful mages.”

That was an explanation Venser could believe, although he had a feeling there was more to it. He couldn’t accuse the Dracogenius of that however; he was probably already pushing his luck in this conversation. “I’m afraid I’ll have to respectfully decline, think of something else to ask me for.”

Any pretense of a congenial air faded from the Firemind as he slowly rose back up to his full impressive height, lowering his enormous head until it was almost level with Venser. The man swallowed nervously but refused to back down, although he was wondering how much of his power he could access and if it would be enough to keep from getting toasted.

“I’m afraid you don’t understand boy,” the dragon rumbled, “It is not negotiable. Either you do as I ask, or any cooperation between us ends. Immediately.”

“Why are you doing this,” Venser demanded, frustrated with the obvious threat when it wasn’t even necessary. “You know I am interested in her. Why not let things take their course?”

“Your pace is too slow,” Niv-Mizzet replied, expression implacable.

“Why does that matter,” he asked, and then frowned as a realization dawned. “Wait, does it have to do with the man who came to see her today?”

The parun felt his respect for the human grow; even as his deduction was also a hindrance. “I do prefer someone more stable and predictable for her. The man who visited her is someone from her past that I unfortunately believed would be a suitable match. He was not. You, however, will do quite nicely.”

“Congratulations you have managed to compliment and insult me at once,” Venser grumbled; no one liked to be referred to as predictable.

“I didn’t realize your ego was so fragile,” the dragon snorted, stretching his great wings behind him as he settled down onto his massive hindquarters. “The fact is; the girl is under my protection. I have a vested interest in maintaining a good relationship with her family; something that presumably holds true for you as well considering how intertwined you have become in their lives. Outside of feeling rushed, I don’t see what you really have to object to.”

This was a discussion that could go in circles or end up poorly; neither option was favorable. He was certain that Niv-Mizzet was being sincere; although he doubted the Guildmaster had told him the entire truth behind his request. It was true they seemed to have the same objective in this instance and the dragon had been gracious enough to allow him the use of his library. Although now that he thought about it, that could have simply been a means of throwing the two of them together to see if they were compatible. Venser should have felt outraged by the thought, but he was actually grateful to the dragon in that regard. He would never have gotten to know Lorissa so well without being assigned to her care while he was at Nivix. He actually owed the Parun for a great deal more than he realized.

There was also the fact that if he didn’t agree to this, he would no longer be welcome at Nivix. He wouldn’t be with her every day. No more walks together in the morning and at night. No more sharing jokes about daily mishaps around the aerie. No more just being with her all the time. Right now things were so fragile, the very start of a beginning and if he didn’t see her as much it might slip through the cracks. He knew how she was about work; she had very little free time and most of that was spent with her family or sleeping. It would be too easy for them to grow apart, and he wasn’t confident anything would develop further if he wasn’t around her as much.

Especially now, with that other man reappearing in her life. He knew absolutely nothing about the guy, other than that he was possibly a Planeswalker and definitely powerful. He had also obviously hurt Lorissa and, if his behavior from their interaction in the library was any indicator, was intent on making amends. That would block any chances Venser had of being with her.

“The man that came to see her today was also going to an audience with you,” Venser remarked, eyeing the Firemind as he shifted in place again, his massive tail curling around to cover his taloned feet. “Do you know him well?”

“As well as anyone can I suppose,” the dragon’s response was evasive.

“Well enough to believe he doesn’t suit Lorissa,” the man pointed out.

“Correct,” Niv-Mizzet concurred. “Initially I had hoped they would be well matched but I am afraid he has too much on his plate to handle and very little in the way of common sense when it comes to women.”

Venser let out a long, slow breath, weighing his options. Lorissa had been shaken up by the other guy’s appearance. They were going to be meeting tomorrow night and he had no clue what the outcome of that would be. This would be a terrible time for Venser to lose his welcome at Nivix. He needed to remain near her as much as possible, so she could be reminded he was available. But he hated being manipulated in any way; and while it was his intention to pursue her on his own, he didn’t appreciate being forced into it. He teetered on the brink of indecision, pacing in front of the dragon who regarded him with a patience gained from millennia of existence.

It suddenly dawned on Venser that neither Lorissa nor the visitor had bothered to make an introduction. They’d been too caught up in their exchange to pay attention to anything else and it had been too awkward a conversation for him to join in on. “What’s his name?”

“Jace Beleren,” the Dracogenius answered, not elaborating on his position or importance in Ravnica as it was not yet common knowledge.

Venser’s body stiffened upon hearing that name and he paused in confusion. It was familiar to him and yet not. It triggered an intense reaction in his body, his pulse immediately accelerating and his mind suddenly swirling with random thoughts. Something in his deepest subconscious whispered to him that this man was an enemy; not to be trusted but to be kept at a distance to be observed and neutralized if necessary. He could feel something struggling at the back of his memory, fighting to be realized but too unfocused for recognition in his train of thought. And suddenly all he knew was that this man could never have Lorissa.

“About your request,” he grimly replied, turning to face the dragon and meet his eyes head on. “I accept.” 


	28. Chapter 28

After Venser departed for his meeting with Niv-Mizzet, Lorissa had time to panic in peace. She couldn’t believe Jace had shown up in her life again. Every time she thought he was gone for good, he just reappeared without warning. She also couldn’t believe she’d agreed to meet up with him, but there were many unresolved feelings on her part and if she truly wanted to heal so she could move on and be with someone else, she needed to work through those emotions. Telling him how she felt would be a catharsis. Perhaps then she could get him out of her life completely.

When Venser came back from his meeting with Niv-Mizzet he seemed lost in thought. Since this was a better alternative than having to answer any questions he might have about Jace, she left him to his private musings. Even when he walked her home that night he seemed distracted. Part of her felt like she was being a bad friend since she didn’t ask him what was on his mind, but she knew him well enough by now to understand he would share when he was ready. And the much larger part of her that was being cowardly at the moment was grateful for the reprieve from any awkward conversations.

That night she got nothing in the way of sleep; she had too many things on her mind and was worried about what she might dream about. The next day she was tired and drawn out, but she managed to banish her concerns under work as always. She was fortunate enough to be doing something she loved; it was easy to lose herself in it. Venser was again in his own world and they passed the day in companionable silence.

For his part, Venser had no idea how to facilitate Niv-Mizzet’s request. He was moving at a pace respectful to the lady in question and his gut told him if he tried to push things right now it would be disastrous. He was keenly aware of her upcoming meeting with Jace but bringing it up seemed like a mistake of catastrophic levels so he just sat and brooded all day over how to proceed with seducing her.

When they finally called it a day and walked home together, he settled for giving her a long hug at her door which she was only too glad to accept. Both of them needed the moral support for getting through the night. He closed his eyes and thought about how perfect she felt in his arms. Then he forced himself to let her go and went home.

* * *

Jace left his meeting with Niv-Mizzet fairly certain that he’d allowed his preoccupation with Lorissa to enable the dragon to take advantage of him, but the details were hazy. The Izzet parun had a tendency to ramble while cleverly throwing in demands or suggestions to catch one off guard. Instead of paying attention, he’d spent the entire time thinking about what he was going to do and say when he saw her again. He felt a sense of urgency; he had to make things right or at least workable between them before that other man Venser stepped in. It didn’t take a genius to realize the two of them were close; and apparently the guy was working with her on a daily basis. Jace didn’t have the luxury of a slow assault on her doubts.

He had dozens of tasks to take care of that next day and he was glad he could relegate most of them to the envoys he’d selected from the various guilds. This naturally got him thinking about a way to further his goal with Lorissa; he made a mental note to consider it in detail later so he wouldn’t miss any possible repercussions. Luckily so many menial labors made the day fly by; he wasn’t able to stew about his upcoming meeting with her until he was on the way to her house.

The one and only time he’d been to her place was when he had heard her thoughts while she screamed his name during masturbation. He had immediately dropped everything he was doing and hunted her down for an incredibly satisfying bout of oral sex. But, in the process he had sort of invaded her home, her thoughts, her privacy…He had been ashamed afterwards although looking back on it, he realized she would have no idea about any of that. All she knew was that he’d disappeared on her again. And he’d done that to her a lot. He had a great deal to make amends for if he wanted anything to continue between them.

That was the question of the hour. Did he want anything from her besides sex? He had no idea. He always felt so confused thinking about her. His brain said yes and no; unfortunately so did his hormones and his heart. There was no one clear answer. When he was around her, he felt like he was home somehow. Horny and usually frustrated, but also oddly content. There was something at once provocative and calming about her; the only thing that seemed to upset him was his inability to accept anything serious between them. The problem seemed to lie with him more than her; he wasn’t sure it was something he even wanted to confront.

As he made his way down her street, he noticed motion in front of her house and paused when he saw Lorissa standing next to that guy from the Azorius Senate. Jace was immediately irritated. The two seemed to be having a deep conversation and a moment later the man drew her into a hug. Jace felt a dangerous surge of power rise up within him as hot fury flooded his veins. It was one thing to see her with another man; to see someone else touching her made him feel reckless with rage. Here on the street where there was no one who knew him, he didn’t bother masking his energy, his eyes blazing like new stars as the magic boiled within him. 

Fortunately, Lorissa stepped out of Venser’s embrace and went inside before Jace’s tenuous control on his temper snapped. He watched the other man walk away and stood still, drawing in several deep breaths to calm his nerves and resist the impulse to go after the guy and warn him to keep away. But the confusion and anxiety that had dogged his heels the whole way there increased significantly; and his patience was stretched thin by what he had seen. He knocked on her door with careful control, and then took an abrupt step back when a rumbling snarl echoed from within the house.

“Knock it off Nix,” came Lorissa’s clear voice an instant before the door swung open.

They stood there staring at each other in silence for a moment. She looked surprised to see him. And then Jace belatedly realized he was early. Very early. He’d planned on just camping outside of her house and reviewing what he was going to say to her during their talk; but he forgot all about that after he saw her with Venser and marched right up to her door like an idiot.

“Um, hello,” he finally replied, wishing he could just vanish.

“What are you doing here,” she asked, looking confused. Behind her, he could make out the shape of an enormous feline, its eyes staring at him with distrust.

“Got the time confused,” he muttered, feeling his face heat up. He pointed behind her. “What is that?”

“My Pride of the Clouds lion, Nix,” she answered, trying to get her bearings. She hadn’t expected to see him for another hour or two; she had planned on taking a bath to relax and clear her head but here he was on her doorstep. She wondered if she could just tell him to come back later and shut the door in his face but realized that would be rude. Especially since it seemed like he’d arrived early by mistake. “Let me just go put him away so we can talk.”

She left the door slightly ajar as she led the great elemental lion into her bedroom. Nix grumbled in displeasure when she shut the door behind her, but she knew he’d stay put unless he thought she was in danger. Then he’d break through the door if necessary. She chewed on her lip and looked down at the outfit she was wearing. The dress was much more conservative than the previous day but still feminine enough that she wished she was wearing pants. But she couldn’t change now; he’d already seen her so it was pointless. With a sigh she walked back to the door, not sure what was going to happen next.

From his vantage at the threshold, Jace watched her approach. She was small and graceful; the blue and red dress she was wearing showed not a hint of cleavage and ended just above the knee, but it swirled around her thighs in a teasing fashion when she moved and the halter top made him wonder if she was wearing a bra. Or if those deep rosy nipples were pressing up against the material. Dangerous thoughts that he had to put under wraps; he didn’t want to mess things up anymore if possible. It was difficult to think rationally with an erection and he was already struggling to keep one down.

She pushed the door all the way open and walked back into the house, looking back over her shoulder to say, “Well, come inside.”

And just like that his mind betrayed him. He had about a million flashbacks of fucking her senseless, coming inside her hot mouth and her tight pussy. He lost the fight. His cock stood straight up as blood vacated the rest of his body in what felt like an instant, including his already enfeebled brain. He had the primitive urge to throw her down on the ground and mount her right there.

He fought it off, but damn it was hard.


	29. Chapter 29

Lorissa watched as Jace slowly, almost reluctantly, crossed the threshold into her home, acutely aware that the last time he’d been there he’d put his face between her legs and his dick inside her mouth. Her body immediately became flushed at the memory, and although she tried to suppress the response it was virtually impossible. The best she could hope for was to hide it from him. It infuriated her to no end that her body always seemed to betray her when it came to this man.

Jace could sense her tension and was sorely tempted to take a look at her thoughts, but he resisted not only because it would be unethical for him to do it, but also because he had promised himself he would refrain from such behavior. She seemed to make him cross boundaries not only with her, but himself as well. He had to constantly remind himself to stay out of her head. She turned to face him as he closed the door and again they found themselves staring in uncomfortable silence. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he had no idea where to start or even how much of it he wanted to actually go into.

He settled for offering an olive branch, since he realized he was the one more at fault for the mess of their associations. “I know you are tired of hearing me apologize, but it has to be said. I am sorry for how things have gone in the past. In particular, my penchant for vanishing. I’m in a position of some authority and it takes up most of my waking hours; I have very little free spare time.”

The words came out of him in a rush and he winced at how contrived they sounded, but she listened to him with a passive expression which was a relief.

The truth of the matter was, Lorissa was too stupefied to make a face. He was actually botching an apology by pretending like his behavior could be blamed on nothing more than having a busy schedule. Yes it was possible that his days were full of duties but that had nothing to do with his choice of behavior. Every time he’d run, it was directly after sex. He had wanted to avoid any discussions or intimacy between them; it was as simple as that. She was astonished he would even bother apologizing at all if he thought she was going to be pacified by an explanation like that. It was as if he didn’t seem to realize what he’d been doing.

And then she had an epiphany. He honestly believed what he was saying to her. At least partially. Was he really so out of touch with his own reactions that he didn’t understand he’d been running away over and over again? Having to leave immediately once or twice was possible, if not polite. But immediately disappearing each and every time was something else altogether. She’d been hoping he might be able to explain his behavior to her but it occurred to her now that he wasn’t capable of it. He didn’t understand what he’d been doing any more than she did. So where did that leave them now? And more importantly, why did any of this matter?

She let out a long, slow sigh before saying, “Thank you for the apology. Is that all you wanted to tell me so you could get on with your life?”

Jace understood then that she believed this was some sort of meeting to have closure between them, which was not what he wanted at all. He couldn’t quite explain what his endgame was, but he definitely wanted her in his life for the time being. “No, it’s something I needed to tell you about myself because it is a constant facet of my life. I’ll have to work around it in order to find ways to see you.”

She was startled by the blatant honesty of the reply, her face relaying her surprise. “Why would you bother doing that? We haven’t seen each other in months.”

It was a moment of supreme vulnerability for Jace, and he had learned to guard his feelings over the years thanks to the betrayal of his past lover. Answering her question in an honest way would leave him open to pain, but he sensed if he was anything less than truthful with her, whatever might be left between them was finished. He wasn’t ready for that yet; the idea of it more upsetting than exposing himself to rejection. His heart pounded in anxiety, but he forced himself to give her as much as he could and still protect himself. “I can’t get you off of my mind. I’ve tried, but thoughts of you surface at the most random and inconvenient times.”

Again his forthright response blindsided her. After spending so much energy avoiding any sort of personal conversation with her in the past, he was being surprisingly open. “That’s ridiculous; we don’t even really know each other.”

He shrugged as if in agreement. “Nonetheless it’s the truth.”

Lorissa struggled to come up with a response, her composure shot by his candid answers. Part of her was almost giddy with the revelations, relieved to know he’d been thinking about her as much as she thought about him. But the far more dominant side of her was too pragmatic to simply accept what he was saying. Words were easy; actions tended to reveal intent and his behavior in the past had always been casual and elusive.

“I don’t know what you expect me to say here,” she finally admitted, her bewilderment evident in her tone. “You come in and out of my life like a whirlwind; showing up fast and leaving just as quickly.”

Jace didn’t like the turn this was taking, he wanted her to focus on what could lie ahead rather than what had transpired in the past. So he made a rash declaration that he wasn’t entirely sure he could keep. “That’s going to stop; no matter how busy I am, I won’t run.”

She didn’t understand what this man wanted from her. He moved through her life with such seeming indifference that offering him another chance would be foolish. “What do you want from me? Is this about sex, because I’m sure you can get that elsewhere.”

Another question that made Jace feel exposed although he wasn’t quite sure why. His own feelings were a confused tangle but that wouldn’t be a great answer so he opted for honesty again. “I’m not going to lie, the sex is great. I just want to spend time with you and see how that goes.”

It was a vague, evasive answer. Did she really want to fall back into something casual with him? Spending time together was a generic phrase and she honestly didn’t know if she could believe him even though he was being pretty forthcoming with his responses. More importantly, she wasn’t the type of woman who could handle long term casual. She didn’t have to have a man in her life every second of the day, but she didn’t want someone around that she couldn’t count on either. She had to be realistic; he was a professed workaholic that appeared to be unaware of the cause of his own behavior; that sounded like a recipe for disaster and she was concerned her feelings would get more engaged only to end up trampled. 

“We should stop meeting like this. It’s not going anywhere; it never has been,” Lorissa finally replied.

Jace felt his stomach hit the floor as dismay washed through him. How could she dismiss what was between them? Yes he’d made some miscalculations, but he intended to make up for that while he was getting to know her better. She thought he was going to do something like walk away now, after all he’d said? The fuck he was going to do that. Didn’t she understand what it had cost him to tell her even a trace of what he was thinking and feeling? Of course she didn’t; she had no idea how protective he was of his emotions because they hardly knew each other. That was going to change; if she chose to turn away down the road that was up to her, but he wasn’t going to simply let go without giving it a chance in the first place.

Words were constantly the enemy between them; he could find out a hint of what he wanted to know with a more direct approach. Her defenses had always seemed weakest against their mutual attraction, and he was ruthless enough to employ whatever tactic necessary. He quickly closed the distance between them, watching her eyes widen as he stepped into her personal space and pulled her into his embrace. Holding her felt surprisingly good, at once comforting and right; his body instantly heated up from the contact. She leaned back in surprise but he was much taller than her and leaning down to reach her was easy if a bit uncomfortable.

Jace kissed her softly at first, because he didn’t want to scare her away when she was obviously unsure. But the touch of her lips against his jolted him with a shock of need and he was delighted to feel an answering tremor go through the maddening woman in his arms. Her fingers curled into the breastplate of his armor an instant before her mouth opened to him. He immediately pressed his advantage, his tongue sweeping inside to touch hers lightly, suppressing the urge to simply devour her because he wanted to savor every little reaction she made. It was difficult; sliding his tongue over hers made pulses of need ripple through him, his cock throbbing in time to each one. Kissing had never felt so amazing, the pleasure of it intense and sharp. He’d wanted to have her again since the moment he’d last left her, the waiting a self imposed torture.

Lorissa had her rational defenses firmly in place during their discussion; the past between them tumultuous enough that her will was bolstered to resist. But she hadn’t been prepared for physical contact and as soon as he touched her, those solid defenses began to disintegrate. Kissing him was like a drug, the desire immediate and inflammatory, drowning out caution and regrets with laughable ease. His mouth was firm, his taste unique, the confident and aggressive motions of his tongue recalling to mind how capable he could be while he was between her legs. Sex with him was divine and always had been. 

Jace could feel her body relaxing in his embrace, her hands slipping around his back to pull him closer. Exultation sang through his veins, the urge to take her rising like a tidal wave; the force of it shocking and almost irresistible. But the part of his mind that had flashes of true brilliance was still functioning enough to remind him that rushing things with this woman had always gone wrong in the past. Yes, they could probably have incredible sex right now, but what would that cost in the future?

With a groan he made one last hot swipe of his tongue against hers and then stepped away from her. Both of them were breathing hard; her eyes looked confused when they opened to meet his. But he had the answer he’d been looking for; she still desired him as much as he lusted for her. He could work with that. 

“I want inside you,” he whispered, “but I’m going to stop now. Because I told you all I wanted to do was talk. But we’re not finished. I’ll be coming for you again.”


	30. Chapter 30

After kissing her senseless and throwing down the gauntlet, Jace had walked out of Lorissa’s home, leaving her dazed and confused. The meeting hadn’t ended as she’d imagined at all. He’d made a few surprising statements which, while too vague to pin any hopes on, left her with the feeling that if she didn’t pursue things any further she’d regret not at least investigating the possibility that he genuinely was interested in more than sex. He had ended their kiss after all, when it could have very easily led to so much more. She had been totally lost to it; he could have taken her there in the living room and she would have surrendered gladly. As galling as it was, she’d never had any control when it came to her physical attraction to him.

In fact right now, her body was still highly sensitized from his embrace. Her nipples were hard and her abdomen was taut with arousal; there was a stinging sensation that seemed to trail from her breasts down to her clit. Jace did this to her every time, turning her on to an unbearable degree with ease. Even though she knew she should feel grateful he’d left without taking advantage of her, right now she felt distinctly irritated instead.

Muttering to herself, she made her way to her bedroom and shooed Nix out, closing the door behind the Pride lion. She stripped out of her clothes, hoping to cool off or at least relax. After putting them into her hamper, she strolled into her bathroom and turned on the water, adding a fragrant mixture to it that quickly caused frothy bubbles to form. She hesitated a moment, chewing on her lip indecisively, before reaching under the bathroom sink and grabbing Old Blue, her faithful and much used dildo. She really shouldn’t indulge in any sexual play with Jace in mind; it was counterproductive to being unbiased about their situation. But, she happened to be feeling unbelievably horny after that kiss and she had never been one to lie to herself when it came to desire.

Besides, he’d never know.

* * *

Jace was damn proud of himself for having the presence of mind and willpower to walk away from Lorissa. It had gone against his baser instincts, which were even now berating him for not taking her to bed. But it was a personal victory; he’d managed to resist an almost overwhelming need once his brain had put it into context. He wasn’t willing to win the battle but lose the war. He’d done the right thing. And even though he was immensely pleased with his conduct, he still made the trip home with an incredibly uncomfortable erection.

He debated heading out to have sex with a lover; but the idea was repugnant. If he was serious about taking things to another level with her, he shouldn’t continue sleeping with other women. Even if they were covered in illusions to look like her. And truthfully, the idea of touching anyone else right then turned his stomach. He didn’t want anyone else; he wanted Lorissa. A substitute wouldn’t cut it and didn’t sound the least bit appealing.

He sighed in frustration and stomped into his lab, hoping to distract himself with work. The memory phylactery was still sitting there unfinished. He had been so busy lately that he’d hardly gotten to spend any time at home. He basically came in to pass out on his bed; it had been weeks since he’d actually sat down at his bench and looked at personal spells. This particular project required extreme focus; he’d already ruined it once when he’d heard Lorissa’s mental call for him months ago. Although that had definitely been worth it; even though it had taken him weeks to recreate the phylactery.

Remembering that night wasn’t helping him calm down; it was a favorite recollection for him when he got off. He ran a hand through his hair and tried not to wonder how often she masturbated. Did she fantasize about him half as often as he thought about her? That was a dangerous line of thinking if he wanted to avoid blue balls, but once the thought popped into his head he couldn’t get rid of it. He wondered what she was thinking about right now. Had his words gotten through to her? Or did she think he was just after sex? He couldn’t be sure.

Well, actually he could, a treacherous part of his mind pointed out. All he had to do was peek in on her; reading thoughts was one of his many abilities. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t violate her privacy that way though. Maybe he could just do a broad cast and see if she was feeling distressed or not. He didn’t have to actually delve into her thoughts to do that.

Even as he told himself that was still not a proper thing to do, the rebellious side of his mind had already eagerly sought out the signature that was uniquely hers. What he found made his blood race; her mental output heavily laced with lust and pleasure. His already aroused body went on full alert and this time ignored the admonitions of his brain; diving headlong into her thoughts.

Her mind was cluttered with a dazzling array of images, all of them centered on Jace fucking her. Some of them were memories, others clearly scenarios she had dreamed up that he’d be more than happy to fulfill for her. He struggled to sort through them, trying to find his way to her main consciousness, but it was difficult to ignore the sexual scenery. His dick had been swollen since he’d kissed her, seeing so many explicit images about him in her mind made him even harder and he hurriedly unfastened his pants to relieve some of the painful pressure. He clawed his way to the surface of the sensual thoughts, ignoring the urge to stay and study all the things she wanted him to do to her. 

Lorissa was immersed in a bath, her legs spread apart, back braced against the tub. Water was gently splashing as her hips rocked under the surface, a long, thick dildo sliding in and out of her pussy. She was thinking about the way he’d looked earlier that night, how sexy he was even when he was pissing her off. As she plunged the shaft inside of her, she imagined tearing off his clothes to bare his body so she could run her tongue over his chest and lightly bite down on his nipple.

Jace sucked in a sharp breath and dropped a hand down to start rubbing the outline of his penis as a suffocating wave of need sluiced over him. He’d skimmed through the thoughts of past lovers to see if he was doing things they liked, but he’d never really stayed in their thoughts to experience the ride. He hadn’t been interested enough to try it out, but with Lorissa he desperately wanted to. He shouldn’t; he didn’t have her permission but he knew at this point it wouldn’t be possible to obtain it anyway. It would lead to too many questions he wasn’t ready to answer yet. The proper thing to do was leave her to the fantasies in her head.

Just then Lorissa arched her back, imagining his mouth fastening on her own nipple to playfully bite it in payback. She thrust the dildo into her pussy faster, cupping one of her breasts and pinching down on her nipple to simulate his bite. She looked down at herself covered with the frothy foam from the bath and idly wondered what it would look like if he came on her tits. Jace’s teetering self control shattered to bits. He stripped out of his clothes in the blink of an eye and dropped onto his work bench, blind to anything other than the fevered visions he was watching as he started stroking his cock.

In her mind, Lorissa kissed her way down Jace’s finely wrought torso, occasionally lapping at the taut skin just to watch his muscles tense in reaction. She adored his body, the lean strength of it an aphrodisiac she couldn’t resist. She’d love to explore it at her leisure one day; just keep him in bed exploring every gorgeous inch with her mouth, tongue and teeth. When she reached his erection she breathed on it lightly as she gently skimmed one finger along the firm length that she was so intimately acquainted with. She dragged her nails over his balls an instant before delicately licking the base of his shaft, enjoying the way it twitched in response. She traced her tongue upwards from the base to the top, slowly rolling the sensitive tip into her mouth. Her head began to slide down as she sucked his cock inside, taking in every inch until he was hitting the back of her throat. She paused a moment to adjust to his size and then once she was comfortable enough she began to bob her head up and down, withdrawing until only the tip was inside, her hand massaging the base of his dick while her other hand continued to caress his balls. He groaned, the sound making her pussy clench, and precum dripped into her mouth.

Lorissa started panting at the imagery, forcing the dildo in deeper while she began to rub her clit. Her body was on fire, she wanted to be fucked hard, and while she knew her way around her sex toys it wasn’t anywhere as good as feeling Jace’s strong body pounding into hers. Jace, along for the ride inside her mind, was panting himself as he fisted his cock. He’d been aware she was a passionate creature given how easily she orgasmed for him when they had sex, but he’d had no clue how intense and lustful her mind could be. She wanted to eat him alive and he would let her do it, with a smile on his face.

He was sorely tempted to travel to her house and make some of her dreams a reality, but he knew she was already curious after the last time he invaded her home when she was masturbating. She would probably be pissed off if she knew he was inside of her head. He didn’t regret his decision to look, although he should, but what he’d discovered was more than enough to give him hope for the future. However at that moment, he would have traded it for being inside of her body in an instant; as turned on as he was.

Lorissa continued on with her fantasy, unaware of his presence, her mouth full of his cock, stretched to maximum capacity, like her cunt was whenever he fucked her. She loved sucking on him, the salty taste exciting her and his moans making her desperate to feel that thick, hard length inside her body. She grabbed his hips and dragged downward until they were both on their knees, then she guided him with gentle pressure from a palm on his ass until he was thrusting into her mouth, going in deeper than before, trying to take all of him in. Her pussy ached from the sensual movements of his body, one of her hands dropped down to rub her clit. He leaned forward to slide a hand over her back, between the beautifully curved globes of her ass, to tease her dripping wet slit for a moment before forcefully shoving his fingers inside.

Lorissa could feel the tension in her body coiling almost painfully, her approaching climax urging her to pump the dildo into her body with increasing strength and speed. The water in the tub was splashing wildly from the pace of her hips; her breasts bouncing; swollen with arousal. To soothe the ache, she lifted one up high and ran her tongue over her nipple to wet it before tugging on it with her fingers.

Jace, stretched out on his work bench jerking his cock to the images of her deep throating his dick, bucked his hips up at the action, groaning, “Fuck baby.”

Miles away in her bathroom, Lorissa thought she heard the sound of her lover’s voice in her mind, dark with longing. It was the catalyst to her orgasm, her cunt contracting at the words, squeezing tightly around the dildo as she arched her back and screamed with pleasure. The ecstasy of the release flooded her senses, rushing from head to toe as her pussy coated the dildo and her thighs with her juices underwater. As she collapsed back with a sigh, Jace raced up the heights towards his own orgasm, fist rapidly stroking his engorged shaft with the sound of her scream in his ears and the vision of her fucking herself while licking her tits and thinking about sucking him off. He was drowning in the delight he felt inside of her mind following her own climax, which he’d been able to partially feel thanks to their mental connection. His body was wound so tight he thought it would break; the need intense and painful. He came hard, his own release eliciting an oath of relief as the unbearable agony was replaced with breathtaking pleasure that swamped his senses as streams of cum shot into the air to splash on his abdomen, bench and floor.

His arm dropped to the side, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath and orient himself as he floated in the blissful aftermath of their orgasms. Although he wanted to stay in her mind and experience that amazing sensation, now that he’d gotten off his willpower was gaining enough control to reassert itself and he felt appalled that he’d invaded her mind that way. It had been an unbelievable experience, but he should never have done it without her permission. She was dangerous to him in ways he hadn’t encountered often in his life and he realized that was one of the main reasons he’d always run from her. He wouldn’t do that anymore, but he had to figure out a way to govern the wildness that came out of him in her presence. 


	31. Chapter 31

When Venser met Lorissa for the walk to work the next morning, both of them had their minds on each other and yet also a million miles away. Venser was aware that Lorissa’s scheduled meeting with her ex had been the night before; he couldn’t exactly ask her about it though. It wasn’t his business no matter how much he cared for her; unless she brought it up first it was off limits. But that restraint and emotional maturity cost him; he felt on edge and agitated. He was concerned about the amount of pressure that Niv-Mizzet might bring to bear if he didn’t make a move on her soon.

Lorissa was feeling confused and guilty about her reaction not only to Jace during his visit, but also her intensely pleasurable session of masturbation after he’d left. She was torn. The practical side of her warned she’d been down a similar road with Jace in the past and nothing had come from it. The emotional side of her argued that it wasn’t the same situation; the man had seemed like he might want something more if they enjoyed one another’s company outside of the bedroom.

And then there was Venser. He was everything a woman should want in a man and yet she still couldn’t get over her connection to Jace. Maybe because it had never had a chance to develop and fail. When she went over a mental checklist of the men, Venser was clearly the superior as far as qualities she looked for in a partner. But some stubborn part of her insisted that Jace had never had an opportunity to show if he was a worthwhile companion or not. Her mind kept whirling in circles and she found it exhausting.

Venser could sense her turmoil, so to put her at ease he told her about the latest goings on in the main deCar household. As he’d hoped, hearing anecdotal tales about her family helped her relax. For all of their various guild allegiances, they shared a strong bond that Venser admired and envied. They were all incredibly busy but still made an effort to connect as often as possible; even so Venser actually saw her family more than she did. Thanks to the recent prodding by Niv-Mizzet, he had considered seeking their help in pursuing her. From what he could tell; her parents had started to assume she would die alone with twenty cats.

Lorissa listened to Venser as he related the latest feud between her twin brothers; usually when they fought it was over a woman. As close as the two men were, they still got into spectacular brawls when they weren’t getting along. They tended to be attracted to the same type of female; their fights were usually short lived but remarkable. She knew they would lose interest in the woman after a while and things would smooth out between them once that happened. Venser, having not experienced this phenomenon as often as she had, was concerned it would never end.

Somewhere along the way to work, she realized he was telling her all of these stories to make her feel comfortable. That was just the kind of person he was, at least around her. He was a thoughtful, compassionate soul with an astute mind. Ironically, this only made her feel worse for not being able to simply choose him and put Jace out of her thoughts. 

* * *

Since becoming the Living Guildpact, Jace had discovered there was an almost endless amount of tasks that went with the position. Every decision he made carried utter authority and as such, he preferred to give each issue his full attention. However it hadn’t taken him very long to realize such a thing wasn’t possible. There was too much to be handled. And so, over time, he had developed a system to help him mitigate the work load. He had begun to choose individuals within the various guilds to deliver the most important issues to him directly and to delegate less urgent matters to qualified individuals within their own ranks. It required that he trust the chosen representatives, so it was slow going choosing who to pick. Emmara had been an easy choice for Selesnya and Lavinia similarly for the Azorius Senate. Each of them had made recommendations for secondary representatives; something Jace had requested since he wanted to avoid any complications that could arise from only having one emissary per guild.

For the Izzet League, Niv-Mizzet had suggested, ergo demanded, that the storm mage Ral Zarek be a representative. Jace knew the man; in fact they shared the common trait of being Planeswalkers and had loosely joined together to keep the dragon from uncovering the truth about their kind. He didn’t particularly approve of the other man’s overzealous and headstrong ways, but he did respect his intellect, so he’d agreed to the Dracogenius’ request. But the second emissary post had remained vacant; Ral hadn’t presented a partner to the Living Guildpact as of yet and so Jace decided to kill two birds with one stone.

He sent a missive to Niv-Mizzet formally bestowing the position upon Lorissa deCar.

* * *

Lorissa was going through a series of side projects for Tabozav when a page poked his head into the room and nervously requested she accompany him to see the Guildmaster. Tabozav, infamous for his temper and nearly complete disregard for the parun’s orders, had glared at the man and told him to come back later. But Lorissa, not wanting to cause any trouble for her employer or herself, had hurriedly stood up and promised the archmage that she would return shortly. Venser had watched the exchange with curiosity; he wasn’t concerned the dragon would mention anything to her about dating him. The Firemind seemed to be going out of his way to keep his hand in the matter secret.

Lorissa made her way into the Aerie in puzzlement; she honestly had no clue what Niv-Mizzet might want with her. He was an entity of calculations disguised as whims; but they had a unique relationship and often he visited her to pester her. Perhaps he was bored and seeking amusement. As she approached his private quarters, she was less than pleased to see Ral Zarek there conversing with the dragon. The man always looked irritated and now was no exception; the air around him seemed to dance with annoyance. She experienced a moment of anxiety wondering if he was telling the guildmaster about her scene in the library with Jace. It had been extremely unprofessional of her to allow him to speak; especially in front of Venser who was a visitor from another guild.

She planted a smile on her face to hide her worry and inclined her head to the two of them as she drew even with them. It wobbled a bit when the Dracogenius murmured to the archmage, “Give us a moment, Ral.”

The man nodded stiffly and moved away, his gaze raking over her in a less than approving fashion. She braced herself for the worst, expecting a reprimand for her poor conduct at work. Thus she was surprised when the Firemind said, “I know you have quite a lot on your plate already archivist deCar, but I’m afraid I’m going to be adding onto your burden again. I’m not certain how much you know of the political workings of the guilds on Ravnica, but there is an overall governing authority that helps to…mitigate the worst of our disagreements.”

This was the first Lorissa had heard of such a thing. She had a broad idea of the relations between the guilds; such as which were allied and opposed in theory and function. She had always assumed that the guildmasters handled such matters amongst themselves. He seemed to be waiting for a response, so she replied, “I had no idea.”

Niv-Mizzet had assumed as much, but given that Jace had requested her assignment as a liaison for the Izzet League, he had wondered if the man had spoken with her about the matter at all. It seemed not. Which given the tumultuous nature of the relationship between the Memory Adept and this female, really wasn’t that surprising. But it was just another example of how Jace lost his head where she was concerned. How could he not recognize she would resent being manipulated in this fashion? Even the dragon knew that, and he’d never dated a human before.

“As you can imagine, such a person has a tremendous amount of information and disagreements to review,” he went on, used to simply making demands of his subordinates but recognizing this particular matter required a bit more delicacy. “As such, each guild has two emissaries tasked with reviewing internal complaints and bringing the more urgent matters to the office of the Living Guildpact.” 

That was a logical course of action to take, but Lorissa was confused about what this had to do with her. Had someone been promoted to this position so she was now going to assume their responsibilities? She was too polite to interrupt, so she just nodded her head to indicate she understood what he was saying.

Niv-Mizzet could read her perplexity and had to suppress a chuckle. He supposed it made sense she had no idea what he was leading up to. Normally such an appointment would go to a senior guild member; she wouldn’t even be considered for it if not for Jace’s pointed request. “Ral Zarek is just such a liaison, but the second post has been vacant until now. At the behest of the Living Guildpact, you have been selected to serve as the second emissary.”

Lorissa heard the words, but couldn’t process them. Such an opportunity was incredible but also made no sense whatsoever. She could think of a dozen people in the guild more qualified; a glance in the direction of the Storm mage showed her that though he was standing at a respectful distance away he was clearly already aware of what they were discussing. She now understood his annoyed look from earlier; he had been told about her appointment to the position and was less than pleased. She couldn’t blame him; she wasn’t qualified for such an undertaking.

“With all due respect guildmaster, I’m afraid I have to decline,” she blurted, taking a small step away in denial, fear swelling within her as she recognized that this was something she had to do but it would certainly rouse her parun’s ire.

It was hard to say who looked more shocked in that moment, the great dragon or the man who was supposed to be unable to hear their conversation. The Dracogenius responded first, used to being obeyed, his visage darkening at her refusal. “It’s not an option. You were specifically selected and the word of the Living Guildpact is binding.”

Ral was impressed she’d had the balls to turn down such an offer, let alone to the dragon’s face. Even though he was unhappy that she was being given this position because of Jace’s obvious sexual interest in her, he could still respect her temerity.

“Forgive me, but I am not even remotely qualified for such a role and I can think of at least a dozen guild members who not only are, but who have put in the time and deserve this post whereas I clearly do not,” she quietly replied, her voice quivering with the terror she felt at having to stand her ground. But she knew it was the right thing to do in that moment and her parents had raised her to follow the course no matter the cost.

Niv-Mizzet’s rising anger was abruptly soothed by her logical response; his arrogant nature could not be contained by many things, but his intellect was one of them. She was not refusing to be difficult; she was refusing because she recognized herself as unworthy of the task. And she was correct; he would have selected a number of other people over her but his hand was also being forced in this matter. It was a fact he didn’t care for, and directly responsible for his irate temperament at the moment.

He let out a deep sigh and lowered his head so that he wasn’t looming over her quite so threateningly. “I understand, girl, and your reasoning is admirable. But in this case, I must insist. We will discuss it no further, it is settled. Ral will fill you in on details regarding the duties of emissary. Now go.”

It was a direct dismissal; gainsaying it would result in serious consequences, but for a moment she considered it anyway. Then she saw the compassion and aggravation in her guildmaster’s eyes and understood that he had no choice. Whoever this Living Guildpact was, the dragon could not go against their edict. Refusing again would do no good; at least not to the Firemind. She had to take her complaints to the source itself, and she intended to do just that. 


	32. Chapter 32

Although Ral still didn’t approve of Lorissa’s selection as the second Izzet League emissary to the Living Guildpact, he had a newfound respect for the young woman as he led her out of Niv-Mizzet’s lair. He had rarely witnessed anyone stand up to the dragon, and certainly never someone so young and powerless. He had done so himself in the past, but he was capable of putting up a fight if necessary. The Dracogenius could have crushed the life out of her with laughable ease, making her defiance all the more stupid and impressive.

As they made their way back towards Tabozav’s lab, Ral explained the basic duties of a liaison, which was mostly collecting and cataloging complaints to be reviewed and then presented to the Living Guildpact. Since Ral was eminently more qualified in the role and had already been fulfilling such duties for a few months, he suggested she leave the presenting of the serious claims to him. Lorissa readily agreed, not intending to be in the role a moment longer than necessary. This left her with the presumably grueling task of reading and sorting the issues before passing them on to Ral. She had always enjoyed research; perhaps she could view this undertaking as another form of it.

They had just reached the lab when Ral paused to glance at her and said, “Emissaries don’t just push paper, unfortunately. We are also required to participate in events held by the various Guilds as a form of promoting unity. And there is a party tonight that you will need to attend, now that you are a liaison. It’s a celebration of a collaboration between the Simic and Selesnya. You’ll be representing the Izzet League; try to clean up tonight. I will meet you here and we can go together.”

She tried not to be offended by his tone; she was starting to recognize that he wasn’t aware of his arrogance. That or he didn’t care. Either way, his demeanor and condescension were nothing personal. She was less than thrilled with the idea of having to attend a social gathering; her free time outside of work was almost nonexistent already and this new position sounded as if it would take up any she had left. She thanked Ral for his assistance and headed back into the lab, where Tabozav was railing over his latest failed experiment. She tip toed past him to avoid catching the brunt of his annoyance and nodded to Venser in greeting.

Ral stood in the doorway for a moment watching the two of them interact. There was a comfortable camaraderie between the pair that was immediately evident. They appeared to be intellectually well matched and it was obvious there was a physical attraction as well. It should be a simple matter to get them together, but as usual Jace was proving to be a hindrance to Ral’s plans. The Living Guildpact had clearly given her the position of emissary to not only force her to spend more time with Jace, but to also remove Venser from her side for at least part of the day. Ral had acted to counter his move by obtaining Lorissa’s agreement to have him present matters to the Guildpact on behalf of the guild, but the Storm mage had a feeling Jace would quickly undo that.

He wondered how she was going to react when she found out Jace was the Guildpact. He suspected she would be furious; she was clearly a hard worker who wanted only to move up on her own merit. A promotion like this to a position she felt she had not earned and coming from a former lover would undermine everything she valued and worked to achieve. He couldn’t believe Jace hadn’t realized that. He was tempted to tell her who the Living Guildpact was but realized it would be more in his favor to let her find out on her own. The shock of it would be that much deeper.

As for that night, Ral knew she had family members in multiples guilds, so he wasn’t concerned she would make any major social gaffes at the gathering. Although if she caught sight of Jace and learned the truth, it might be impossible for her to retain her composure. Ral had already been looking forward to the evening since his lover Tomik was going to be there; now he had even more possible amusements to enjoy.

Lorissa saw Ral take his leave and released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The Storm mage made her nervous. He had a well deserved reputation of being temperamental and she wasn’t at all thrilled to be forced into a position that required she work with him. 

“So how did it go,” Venser asked, glancing up from a scroll he was studying as she sat down across from him.

“I have yet another new job,” she whispered, not wanting Tabozav to overhear since the archmage resented anything intruding on her time in his lab. The only reason Venser was tolerated was because he was a guest of the parun. That and more often than not he assisted Lorissa with her experiments that she conducted for Tabozav.

He arched an eyebrow at her and said. “You can’t be serious. You have no time to yourself as is. If you take on any more, you’ll be working in your sleep.”

Considering that her dreams had been pretty racy and confusing lately, she wasn’t sure she’d mind all that much. But she smiled, grateful for his concern. “Sleep is overrated, besides it doesn’t sound like it will require that much of my attention.”

The rest of the day passed quickly even though Tabozav was a taskmaster, Venser was a calming presence and willingly pitched in with her research. She felt guilty for letting him help her when she was the one who was supposed to be assisting him, but he assured her it was no trouble. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get his memory back and she had to wonder if it was partly because of the attraction between them. She was doing her best not to give him any encouraging signs; until she understood what was going on between her and Jace it wouldn’t be right to let Venser think anything might develop.

Lorissa was tired by the time she got home that night, but she still had that party to attend so she took a shower to wake up and then dug through her closet for something presentable. She had no idea how to dress and Ral hadn’t given her any clues, although to be fair most men didn’t spend much time thinking about what they were going to wear let alone advising someone else about how to do it. She decided it would be better to go glamorous and be wrong, than show up in something that wasn’t up to par.

Because she had no idea how long such an event could take, she dropped Nix off at her parents’ place. She didn’t want to explain what was going on, so she did the cowardly thing and opened the door so the big cat could trot inside and then she took off without going in.

When she strolled in to Nivix, Ral was impatiently pacing in the library as he waited for her. He was wearing a brilliant crimson suit that fit him like a second skin. The lining and seams were all a glowing shade of electric blue. He hadn’t completely abandoned his inventor’s attire however; he was sporting the mizzium-ion electrostatic accumulator on his back and gauntlets. She was profoundly glad she had chosen upscale for her outfit.

He grunted when he saw her. “About time. The event will begin shortly; luckily I have a teleportation spell to take us there immediately.”

Lorissa hadn’t been running behind; she could only assume he’d told her an incorrect start time. Doubtless he believed the event beneath him and was only going because he had no other option. She took his hand when he held it out to her and her skin shivered at the barely contained energy he exuded. He was known as a powerful man in the guild, and rightly so it seemed.

She didn’t have time to dwell on that; in a blink of the eye after he touched her, she found herself transported to an enormous glade. Surrounded by towering trees, a majestic waterfall crashed down into a sparkling river that snaked its way through the center of the clearing. Benches and tables that seemed to be shaped from the earth and trees were stationed throughout the area and people ambled through lush grasses. Even though she was a researcher first and foremost, Lorissa had always loved the outdoors and the sheer natural beauty of the area was breathtaking.

At her side, Ral noted her rapt expression and snorted. “I was going to ask if you needed me to keep you company until you felt comfortable, but you look like you’re in love with the place so I’m going to go mingle.”

She absently nodded at him before drifting over to a patch of stunning purple flowers with red centers, admiring the way they swayed in the gentle breeze. Ral, satisfied that she was fine on her own, took off in search of Tomik, who had naturally been selected as an emissary for the Orzhov Syndicate thanks to his family ties. The two men had both been so busy of late that they hardly got to spend time together; he was thrilled at the opportunity to see his lover while on the job.

Lorissa closed her eyes and basked in the peaceful sounds of the wild, ignoring the quiet murmurings of the people in the other portion of the glade. She was suffused with a feeling of calm contentment; something that had been missing in her life lately. Thus she felt distinctly annoyed when she sensed the presence of someone drawing near her.

“Forgive me for interrupting you, but you look familiar to me,” a woman’s voice greeted her, drawing her attention from her tranquil surroundings to the speaker. “I’m Emmara Tandris.”

It was a tall, beautiful blond elf who Lorissa vaguely recognized as having been with Jace on the day he accosted her outside of New Prahv. Her eyes widened at the memory, but her smile was courteous as she said, “Hello, I’m Lorissa deCar. Yes, we met when I was on my way to see my mother at the Azorius Senate; you were with Lavinia at the time.”

And Jace, but Lorissa wasn’t going to let on that she’d known the man.

Of course, Emmara already knew something had been going on between Jace and this woman, although she didn’t know the particulars.

Both women diplomatically didn’t touch the subject.

Instead, the elf smiled back at her and said, “I see you arrived here with Ral Zarek; are you the second emissary from the Izzet League?” 

“Yes, as of this morning,” Lorissa replied. “I’m afraid I haven’t the first clue about what I’m supposed to be doing here.”

Emmara laughed, liking the other woman’s friendly nature. She was so different from Jace, who could be quite reserved and reticent with strangers. Maybe she could draw him out of his aloof shell. “Don’t worry, tonight is just a celebration, no real formal interactions required. There are those who will try to stir up trouble of course; the Dimir, Gruul and Rakdos really can’t seem to help themselves I’m afraid. But overall, this is just a gathering to celebrate a cooperation between two guilds. The Living Guildpact insists on these functions to impress upon all of us the importance of getting along.”

“It sounds like his life would be a lot easier then; so he’s really pushing the notion to bring himself more peace rather than being altruistic,” Lorissa mused.

Emmara found herself laughing yet again at this pragmatic but definitely probable observation. “Come with me, I’ll show you around since Ral abandoned you.”

And so Jace’s ex flame and his current lover set out across the glade together.


	33. Chapter 33

Jace rushed through his readings of reports that day, knowing by now Lorissa had been informed of her new position as emissary to the Living Guildpact. Since peeking inside her mind, he had been eager to see her again and even though he normally didn’t attend such events, he had every intention of crashing the Simic and Selesnya party that night. He now knew that even though she was upset with him, he still had a chance to make things right. She still wanted him, and she didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who would desire someone she hated.

He showered and dressed in record time, not concerned about his appearance that much because he wouldn’t be going as himself. Lorissa had no idea he was the Living Guildpact and he didn’t want her to find out yet. There were already enough issues between them to work through, without having to explain about his role on Ravnica. He was also concerned she might be intimidated if she knew more of the truth about him. He wanted to tell her everything and he would, eventually. Right now, he just wanted back into her good graces. And her body, of course.

When he arrived at the party, he immediately began to search for her. What he found was enough to bewilder him. Out of the numerous guests at the gathering that evening, she had somehow managed to meet Emmara Tandris. The two women were engaged in an animated conversation, frequently smiling and laughing. His ex crush and his current obsession looked like the best of friends. It was like something out of a nightmare. There was no way he could approach Lorissa like he wanted to; he was afraid he might do something that would reveal his true self to Emmara, who had known him a long time and was familiar with many of his mannerisms.

And it was excruciating to stay away. Lorissa looked delicious; he had seen her in a dress before but she had obviously gone all out that night. Probably because it was her first time attending such an event and she’d had no idea what to wear. He didn’t really care about the reason, he just enjoyed the results. She was wearing a deep blue strapless gown that seemed to be held up by the alluring curves of her breasts and ass, and nothing else. The neck line was modest enough to show just a hint of cleavage but it was obvious she couldn’t wear a full bra underneath it and he wondered what was covering her nipples. The open back plunged all the way down to her waist, showing off the sweet curve of her ass to perfection. The shimmering blue material swirled around her ankles but when she moved, it fell open at the sides to reveal a very long line of leg. She wore a collar at her throat, a wide belt at the waist and sinfully high heels; all of which were red. Jace was torn between adoring the outfit and being outraged at anyone else seeing her in it.

All he could do was sit and observe the pair at a distance and after what seemed like ages Emmara finally excused herself from Lorissa’s company to go and mingle with other guests. As a representative of one of the two guilds being celebrated that evening, she was required to speak with other emissaries. Not wanting to miss his opportunity, Jace closed in on his prey immediately. 

* * *

Lorissa watched Emmara depart with a contemplative smile; she hadn’t expected the elf to have such a splendid sense of humor. Her impression of elves had always been that of stoic beings. She wondered what the woman’s relationship with Jace was, although it wasn’t any of her business. As beautiful as the elf was, Lorissa had a good idea what the truth was.

She decided to continue exploring the grove, which was part of the collaboration the Simic and Selesnya had worked on. As she was wandering around looking at the lavish living sculptures created by the Selesnyans, she was so absorbed in their breathtaking beauty that she bumped into something large and stationary. She was thrown off balance thanks to the heels she’d worn and was about a second from hitting the dirt when a strong hand grabbed her by the arm and easily righted her by pulling her flush against a firm body. She looked up to smile gratefully at her rescuer, but any words of thanks were forgotten when she saw the man.

He was gorgeous, in a fierce way. His tousled hair was the red of old blood, dark and rich. His slightly tilted eyes were a vibrant green, like glowing emeralds. On the right side of his face a wicked looking scar bisected his eyebrow and ran underneath his eye almost to the line of his jaw. His clothing was made of sleek leather from head to toe. His jacket was a mismatched pattern that changed along the front zipper; the collar and sleeve were dark red on one side, while the chest was black. On the other side, the collar and sleeve were black, the chest red. His pants were also black, riddled with rips, and tucked into knee high dark red boots that had swirling inscriptions and the insignia of the Rakdos guild haphazardly stitched into them. He looked wild and savage; damn sexy to be honest. And then he smiled at her, and she was amazed her panties didn’t spontaneously drop to the ground on their own.

“I’m not going to bother apologizing for knocking you off your feet, because it landed you in my arms,” he murmured, his deep voice as sizzling as the rest of him, sending a shiver up her spine.

Definitely dangerous, she concluded, surprised by her intense sexual attraction to him. She’d only ever experienced such instantaneous lust once in her life, the first time she’d met Jace. His teasing words helped calm her rattled nerves and she snorted up at him. “Smooth, but you can let me go now. I’ve been sufficiently saved from falling over myself.”

“Have you now,” he murmured, amusement and something hotter in his tone. “That’s a shame. What if I don’t want to let you go?”

His glittering eyes took on a knowing look as he glanced down to where her body rested against his and she was suddenly acutely aware of the strength of him, tightly leashed at the moment. And as she was realizing that, she noticed something else as well, a tell tale hardness that was pressed up to her abdomen. Lorissa’s cheeks instantly caught on fire; he didn’t seem to be bothered by his erection in the slightest but she was shocked by it from such innocent contact. His sex drive must be through the roof.

Jace watched as she broadcast her thoughts on her face; he never had to read her mind to guess what she was thinking, unless it came to deeper emotions. She was so very open and obvious in her expressions. He’d been aroused since he saw her, for him it was only a natural response and he wasn’t embarrassed in the least. They’d made love on multiple occasions and his body was almost conditioned to react when he was around her. He could tell she was disconcerted by the feel of his cock against her and he couldn’t resist sliding it against her supple form just to watch her squirm. 

She considered trying to force her way out of his hold, but knew it would be pointless. This stranger was much stronger than her. Appealing to his sense of mercy also seemed like a waste of time; the Rakdos weren’t known for softer traits. Although he must be an emissary like she was, since he was at the party. There was a code of conduct in place presumably, and one he would be required to follow even if he didn’t want to.

“I’d suggest you get your vision checked,” she finally replied, gesturing around her at the numerous exotic females wandering through the glade. “There are plenty of women here for you to pursue who would welcome your attention. I’m just not one of them.”

Her confusing plate of men was full enough, thank you very much.

Jace narrowed his eyes at her, torn between pushing the issue proving she found his disguise attractive; and being relieved that she wasn’t taking things further with a complete stranger when he’d made his interest obvious. While he’d been unable to resist approaching her in disguise, he didn’t want her to actually fall at his feet when she didn’t know who he was. Did he? Giving himself a mental shake, he reluctantly loosened his grasp, although he made sure to slide his hands over every inch of her body that he could reach as he did it. 

Lorissa scowled at the man’s impudent grin and she let out a gasp of surprise as his fingers trailed over the sides of her breasts and ass. Before she could deliver a scathing set down, he murmured, “Peace lady,” and bent over to kiss the top of her hand. “I am Ceren Beleja of the Rakdos clan. I have been to many of these gatherings and swear to you I don’t make a habit of fondling people.”

She snorted at his profession; not inclined to take the word of a wild Rakdos but aware she shouldn’t insult his guild at an event meant to promote cooperation. “I’ll forgive you in the interest of unity.”

His face remained unrepentantly sultry and his voice was swimming with innuendo when he said, “I’d be delighted to _unite_ with you any time.”

She hastily withdrew her hand from his grasp, not used to being hit on at all. Men at work didn’t pay attention to her; they either envied or resented her due to her current favored standing. Jace had leaped straight into bed with her without any flirtations. Venser was too polite and formal to make a pass; she’d had no idea he was interested until recently when he’d kissed her. It had seemed out of the blue to her, but maybe she was just terrible at catching signals unless the guy was as obvious as this one.

“I’ll keep your generous offer in mind,” she murmured before glancing around her pointedly. “Well, it was…an experience meeting you, but I really should be sociable and introduce myself to some of the other emissaries. It’s my first time at something like this.”

“I know,” Jace answered her absently; enchanted by the faint blush on her cheeks and the delicious dress she wore. When she arched an eyebrow at him, he immediately realized his mistake; how would he know something like that? Damn hormones had made him careless. “I would have remembered seeing you.”

She felt her cheeks heat up even more at his continued attention, flustered and unsure how to handle it. She finally settled on giving him a slight smile and turned to make her escape. She nearly jumped out of her skin when his hand came to rest on her elbow and he began guiding her over to the crowd.

“You didn’t think I’d let you escape that easily, did you,” he teasingly admonished her. “Besides, what kind of gentleman would I be if I abandoned a lady in distress?”

“What if you happen to be the source of distress,” she muttered before she could stop herself, and then cringed when he gave a loud laugh of surprise.

Jace knew he should let her go on her way; he had no intention of pursuing her in his current disguise. But he just couldn’t bring himself to leave her company and he was pleased to be seeing this side of her. It was clear she was uncomfortable with male attention, which he was absurdly happy about. But she was also almost bitingly honest, something he rarely got to experience in life. He wanted to observe as many sides of her as he could and if she thought he was Ceren she was much more likely to be open since there was no history between them. So he ignored his nagging conscience and her gentle attempts to escape his grasp, and led her into the gathering of emissaries. 


	34. Chapter 34

In spite of her concerns about his outrageous behavior, Lorissa found Ceren to be an entertaining companion. True to his word, he introduced her to various emissaries from other guilds. She was relieved to find he was irreverent with everyone and it seemed to be an expected trait from the Rakdos representative. He occasionally made a pass at her and informed her it was just to keep her on her toes, which made her laugh. He was different than the other men she knew; Venser was serious most of the time and Jace was temperamental. In many ways, Ceren reminded her of her brothers, who were notorious flirts that could charm the pants off any man or woman they met, hiding their sharp intelligence behind humor. Due to that nostalgic feeling, she found herself relaxing around him as the evening wore on.

Jace had always been attracted to Lorissa but now he found himself enchanted by her charm. She was reserved at first, but it didn’t take him long to get through her prickly outer shell with his endless flirtations, which she clearly viewed as harmless. At first she merely snorted at his attempts at flattery; then she began to outright laugh as he let his statements grow increasingly outlandish. He liked seeing her smile and was delighted with her clever quips that she fired back in response to his own. They usually spent all of their time together having sex or fighting; he’d never seen her playful side before. Of course, the only reason he was seeing it now was because she thought he was someone else, but he tried not to let that bother him too much.

* * *

Despite having ostensibly abandoned Lorissa’s side the instant they arrived at the party, Ral had been keeping an eye on her from afar for numerous reasons. The first being that, even though he found his duties on Ravnica to be extremely tedious now that he had discovered there were other planes to explore, he still had a fierce loyalty to the guild that he considered his de facto family. He loved the pursuit of knowledge and the use of magic in experimentation and both thrived in the Izzet League. To that end, he didn’t wish to see the guild harmed, even in matters of reputation. He expected Lorissa to handle herself well that night, but he still checked to make sure she hadn’t committed any mistakes. So far she’d been mingling quite well, accompanied by an utterly delicious emissary from the Rakdos guild. The exotic fellow was positively drooling over the girl and Ral had to wonder what about her seemed to draw in men.

Tomik Vrona was seated at a bench to his left, looking resplendent in a more formal white silken robe and tunic over black pants; the ebony belt at his waist emphasizing his fit physique that Ral couldn’t get enough of. The advokist looked bored, but Ral knew his lover was thrilled to be with him in public. They kept their relationship under wraps and meetings like this one were treasured. At the moment, the other man was glancing in the direction Ral had been looking when he suddenly leaned forward and said, “Is that Lorissa deCar?”

Ral looked at his partner in surprise. “It is, do you know her?”

Tomik replied, “Not that well; I have met her once or twice. Her brothers are Syndicate Knights.”

Ral’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? I’d heard she has family in more than one guild. That’s a high rank for someone not born into the guild, I presume they’re talented.”

“Clearly it runs in the genes,” Tomik murmured, absently studying the Rakdos male who was escorting her around. “She’s an emissary for the Izzet League after all.”

Ral sneered contemptuously. “Not through her own merit. She was assigned the position at the request of the Living Guildpact.”

Tomik absorbed that bit of information in silence. Ral wasn’t concerned about his partner leaking it. The two shared a deep bond and trusted one another with their lives. He normally wouldn’t disclose such a thing to someone outside of his guild, but Tomik had long since proven his loyalty. That being said, the advokist knew better than to inquire for details; his companion would share them when and if he saw fit. Still, that piece of news did intrigue the Orzhov. He had interacted with Jace on a handful of occasions as emissary for the Syndicate; the other man was a distant enigma that anyone in power on Ravnica was naturally curious about.

“Do you know the man accompanying her,” Tomik finally asked, thinking there was something vaguely familiar about the savage looking Rakdos.

“Not personally, I’ve seen him once or twice at events like this one,” Ral shrugged.

“He seems taken with your guildmate,” Tomik mused, noting the way the wild reveler remained in constant physical contact with her.

“She appears to have that effect on a lot of men,” Ral grunted, still befuddled by that fact.

“I didn’t think seduction spells were your guild’s forte,” the advokist teased, although privately he often wondered, considering how sexy he found his Izzet mate.

Ral laughed at his lover’s mischievous look. “They’re not, and even if they were it wouldn’t matter, Lorissa lacks magic.”

Tomik arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Really? From all accounts her parents are quite formidable and I have personally seen her brothers utilize serious spells.”

“Really,” Ral confirmed, his expression thoughtful as he considered his companion’s words. “She’s made her way up in the guild through sheer stubbornness and being a workaholic.”

“Hm sounds like someone I know,” Tomik noted, hiding a smile at the way Ral frowned.

“Me too,” Ral shot back and both men paused to acknowledge their similarities, aware such traits were part of what bound them together. “At least she seems to be doing a good job tonight, so perhaps the position isn’t wasted on her. Time will tell, I suppose.”

* * *

On the other end of the glade, Lorissa felt an itch on her shoulder blades, as if she was being watched, but when she glanced around she didn’t notice anything unusual. The man at her side was congenially chatting with a representative from the Dimir guild; Lorissa wasn’t very well informed about the House because the guild was so secretive many believed it to be defunct. The woman conversing with Ceren was lovely and clever, Lorissa thought the two of them would make a striking pair but he seemed oblivious even though the lady was clearly hitting on him. For his part, Jace didn’t even notice, his attention mostly focused on Lorissa even when he was talking to other people. Being so close to her put his body into a state of ready arousal; hyper aware of every movement she made down to the most minute breath.

He desperately wanted to drag her off to some place secluded and bury his cock deep inside her, but he knew that wasn’t an option at the moment. She’d been abundantly clear with Ceren that she wasn’t open to a tryst, although she’d been carefully polite with her rejections. Jace had been equally respectful in his disguise, flirting barely within the limits of propriety without causing her to drive him away. He was having a fun time being with her, thoroughly enjoying the easy flow of conversation between them and watching her interact with the other emissaries. Even though she had a reserved demeanor, she was gentile in her manner and encouraged others to talk about themselves, her interest in their answers genuine. She seemed to have a deep curiosity and love of learning; two traits they evidently shared. He shouldn’t have been surprised; the Izzet League was full of brilliant minded people with a drive for the pursuit of knowledge. The Magewrights just tended to lack common sense when it came to carrying out some of their experiments. It appeared as if they could be compatible in areas other than the bedroom.

His mind started wandering down the many positions in which they had explored that compatibility in the past, so he was caught by surprise when she asked, “Do you know if the Living Guildpact will be here tonight?”

Jace shifted in place nervously as he answered, “Sometimes; he’s known to make brief appearances to show support for this sort of thing.”

“Excellent,” she replied, although the look on her face implied aggravation rather than pleasure.

“Why do you want to know,” he queried, curious as to what she might want with him.

“Just a question about my appointment,” she breezily responded, not inclined to discuss the particulars with her newfound acquaintance, intent on airing her grievances to the guilty party only. 

Jace assumed she wished to thank him for her promotion and smiled to himself in satisfaction. He hadn’t intended on stopping by the gathering tonight in his true form, but he could appear just to whet her curiosity. He had no plans for revealing his status to her that evening; he knew it was going to happen but he preferred it take place in private the first time since she was going to have a lot of questions for him. He didn’t want anyone else to be there.

“From what I recall, he doesn’t usually converse with people; just pops in to drop a statement and then out again,” he finally supplied.

Lorissa frowned at this information. “How do emissaries get to speak with him then?”

It was Jace’s turn to frown; apparently Ral had been remiss in telling her the details of her position. “Emissaries generally meet with him to discuss the more urgent concerns of the guild on a weekly basis.”

“Oh that’s right, Ral’s supposed to be doing that but maybe I can switch with him once,” she muttered.

Jace wasn’t sure what she meant and didn’t ask because he had already started thinking about how he was going to get in and out of the party tonight as the Living Guildpact without her realizing who he was. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid I have an urgent matter to take care of. It was a pleasure meeting you tonight; I’d love to see more of you.”

She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt at a pick up line. “Likewise; I look forward to crossing paths with you again.”

“Soon,” he promised her, though she couldn’t possibly know how true that statement was.


	35. Chapter 35

After Ceren departed, Lorissa was surprised to find the event lost a lot of its sparkle. The flamboyant man had a large personality; she’d always thought of the Rakdos as violent ravagers but he’d been surprisingly civilized. He’d been an excellent companion, introducing her to a number of representatives from guilds she normally never interacted with. Now that she was on her own, she idly considered hunting down the emissaries for the Azorius Senate, Boros Legion and Orzhov Syndicate. She was curious to see who represented the guilds her family members were in. Chances were good she would know them, if not personally then by sight. As she started scanning the gathering though, there was a flurry of activity near one of the natural fountains at the center of the glade that drew her attention instead.

A man in a dark cloak had materialized there and his appearance caused an immediate uproar. Many of the emissaries flocked to his side, calling out obsequious greetings. Although she was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, she realized only a select number of people could probably engender that sort of reaction in this diverse group. Namely, the Living Guildpact. She instantly tried getting a better look at the fellow, but he was a good distance off and she was regrettably short, unable to see over the others in the crowd. Stretching up on her tip toes didn’t help at all. While she was trying to maneuver her way to a better line of sight, Ral Zarek suddenly appeared at her side, startling her so badly she fell over on her ass thanks to her atrociously uncomfortable shoes.

He gave her an amused glance. “So impressed by the Living Guildpact that you’re head over heels?”

Lorissa narrowed her eyes at him and his smug expression, causing the storm mage to laugh. She smiled sweetly before quickly grabbing onto his sleeve and using his arm to help herself straighten up, almost knocking him over. “Very funny. So that’s the person everyone reports to?”

Ral nodded, watching her intently. Normally he would spend the entire evening by Tomik’s side, but when the Living Guildpact made his appearance, Ral instantly sought out Lorissa. He was expecting an interesting confrontation to occur once she realized the identity of the person who had promoted her to emissary and he didn’t want to miss it. “Going to introduce yourself?”

She was tempted to do just that, not only out of curiosity about the person in question and why the insistence she be an emissary, but also because she was there as a reflection of her guild and to not introduce herself could be considered an insult. On the other hand, she wasn’t certain she could keep a civil tongue once she started talking. Indecision kept her rooted where she was, a lingering scowl on her face as she squinted at the cloaked figure.

From among the throng of representatives vying for his attention, Jace eyed the only person there he cared about, careful to keep his head tilted down far enough so his features were mostly hidden in the shadow of his hood. He’d had the presence of mind to alter its color, something that had admittedly occurred to him last minute as he’d made his appearance. Lorissa had seen him often enough to identify his favored outfits and he didn’t want her to recognize him just yet. He was stopping in strictly for her sake, because she had expressed an interest in seeing him. While he had no intention of talking to her that evening, he couldn’t resist giving her something to whet her appetite.

Thus he was watching her when Ral Zarek showed up by her side and at their seemingly easy exchange of smiles and commentary, he felt something ugly well up inside of him. Logically he knew they were from the same guild and there in their roles as emissaries. He was also aware of the other man’s current paramour, the pertinent fact being the person was male. But he was sick and tired of watching other men interact with her, still agitated by the very existence of Venser in her life and now some other guy was making her laugh when she should be paying attention to no one else but the Living Guildpact since she was there as his liaison. And while he realized this wasn’t a rational or fair expectation, his logic crumbled under the pressure of his far more volatile emotions. The air around him grew charged as his anger flared to life, and those closest to him fell silent as they sensed his power beginning to ride the air.

Oddly enough, it was Ral who quelled his fury a moment later; the Storm mage arching an eyebrow at him mockingly, clearly able to feel his swelling energy. Shame and mortification drowned Jace’s anger instantly; he had access to incredibly dangerous power and he couldn’t be acting out like an adolescent. She made him feel so raw; his emotions ran high anytime she was involved. No, that wasn’t a fair assessment. He reacted to her in ways that were primitive; if anyone was to be blamed for his behavior, it was himself. She didn’t make him do anything; his choices and responses were entirely his own. This was the first fact he had to accept and understand if he was going to successfully connect with her. He didn’t like it one fucking bit though, this required patience when all he wanted to do was carry her off like he was some sort of beast.

After staring intently at the cloaked figure of the Living Guildpact for several minutes, Lorissa concluded her gut instincts were probably correct and discretion would be best. She admitted as much to Ral; her companion seemed a bit deflated by her assessment but then agreed it was a wise choice. He promptly left her side, something else presumably drawing his interest. That freed her to keep her full attention on the entity that ostensibly made all the rulings regarding Ravnica.

It was difficult to make out much; the dark clothing and cape basically hid anything memorable from sight. But there was something about the person’s lean frame that seemed familiar to her. She wondered if she’d seen them before and just not realized who they were at the time. It was possible; she visited many of the guilds due to her family being in more than one. In fact, that was how she’d run into Jace so many times when they had first met. He seemed to travel among the guilds quite a lot as well. She had never stopped to think about what one he might belong to; perhaps he was an Azorius or more likely a Dimir given the way he excelled at disappearing it seemed perfect for cloak and dagger activities.

Shaking her head to clear thoughts of Jace from her mind, she returned her attention to the Living Guildpact and was startled to find that he seemed to be looking in her direction. She couldn’t be sure, because his face was cast in shadows, but she felt as if his eyes were on her and she thought she caught a faint blue gleam from within the darkness. Her skin suddenly broke out in goosebumps and she shifted nervously in place.

Jace knew he should stop staring at her but he couldn’t make himself turn away. Just looking at her made him feel tense; predatory. To him, she was the most mesmerizing female in the place. Her slender, graceful shape and brilliant personality riveted his attention. And fuck he wanted her. Always. Would it ever stop? Even now he could feel his body reacting to her, despite being across the glade from her.

As the blood raced through his veins, his power surged with it, combining with his rising desire. He was seized by the temptation to use that power on her, to have her at his whim and mercy, like some of her darkest fantasies. He couldn’t forget the things he’d seen inside her mind on the night he’d watched her masturbate. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to. What she dreamed of doing to him, of having him do to her, was as pleasing to his ego as it was to his sex drive. Distracted by the memories of what he’d seen, he lost control of his restraint and unbidden some of his energy escaped, darting in Lorissa’s direction with incredible speed. His eyes widened in horror but before he could react, the nearly invisible blue stream swirled around her. 

Lorissa was still trying to figure out if the Living Guildpact was in fact looking at her when something brushed against her ankles. She jumped in surprise, immediately glancing down to locate the offending source only to frown when she saw nothing there. A moment later, what felt like the barest caress leisurely skimmed up her side, spreading shivers in its wake. She could have sworn the tips of fingers slid across the bottom of her sensitive breasts, her nipples instantly growing hard in response. Her eyes widened in alarm as she wondered if she was being groped by someone using an invisibility spell. Ceren had been gone a long time after all, this sort of salacious trickery seemed like it would be right up his alley. And then her mind went blank for a second when she felt the sharp, exhilarating pressure of a thumb brush against her clit, the feeling ricocheting through her unprepared body with excruciating intensity. The air rushed out of her as exquisite pleasure sang across her nerves and she swayed where she stood.

Jace watched her with hungry eyes, his own desire climbing to threatening heights as he devoured the sight of her being pleasured. The power he’d released had seemed to take on a will of its own, shaped by his lust. He’d used telekinesis before but never to touch a lover. And he’d never felt connected to it, as if the telekinetic touches were blending with telepathy. Every reaction she had to the strokes of his power flared through his brain, so he could sense the way her body grew instantly aroused and feel the pleasure that she experienced. Was this some new ability he’d gained as Living Guildpact, or his own powers that he’d always had but never tried to use this way? It didn’t matter to him right now; all that mattered was the rapturous look on her face as his energies wrapped themselves around her and the sexual need he could sense in her body.

Lorissa shivered as a ghost of sensation brushed down her spine and up her thighs. A small moan of surprise escaped her lips as what felt like fingertips flicked over her nipples. Painful heat flashed through her body and she rubbed her thighs together as a stinging ache flared to life between them and she ran wet. Her legs nearly buckled when that unseen touch slipped up through her dripping heat before firmly stroking over her clit again. Her thighs spread apart of their own volition, silently begging for more, exposing a long line of skin from her heels all the way up to inches below her aching gates of paradise. 

Jace was exulting in her responses, waves of pleasure and longing coursing through him as he felt what she did. Her body wanted to be taken, filled up, ridden until satisfied and his own body demanded he appease her. He needed to be inside her, drowning in the scorching tight wetness that drove him insane. An instant later he knew the exact second when his power slipped up between her thighs and delicately slid into that deliciously perfect place he fantasized about, penetrating her like he wanted to do in person. He watched as her eyes rolled closed and her head fell back, the look of desire on her face so blatant it tore at his already tenuous control.

And then he realized what he was doing; not only using his abilities on her without her permission but also worshipping her body in front of an audience. He felt a dark thrill course through him at the idea of making her orgasm while others looked on, letting them see how sexy she was even as they were unable to have her because she was all his. He was startled by the thought but an instant later animalistic denial roared through him and he realized he would never share something so intimate with anyone else. No one could see that look on her face but him. His power immediately dissipated and he saw her stagger in place at its disappearance. 

Jace couldn’t believe what he’d been doing; what he’d almost done. He felt raw, exposed; as if anyone watching them could figure out he was under her spell. It was one thing to be around her in disguise, quite another to face her in his own form. And even though no one could see his face at the moment, most people there knew who he was. Luckily he wasn’t standing even remotely in her vicinity; if someone had noticed the unusual behavior she was exhibiting they wouldn’t know why. He finally made himself turn his head so it seemed as if he was no longer looking in her direction, but it was the last thing he wanted to do. His body screamed at him to go take what was his but he ignored it, forcing himself to interact with the emissaries around him and then quickly take his leave.

What he needed right now more than anything was to either be inside her or as far away from her as he could get. 


	36. Chapter 36

Lorissa was dimly aware of the Living Guildpact taking his leave of the celebration, but she was too distracted by the fiery emptiness of her body to pay attention. Whatever had been pleasuring her to perfection had suddenly vanished, instants after she’d felt an unseen presence enter her, like the tip of a cock just teasing her before pulling out again. For some reason those touches felt familiar; reminding her of the way Jace was able to elicit such wild responses from her when they had sex. Shockwaves of sensation skittered through her, frustration pounding through her veins. She wondered how much longer she was obligated to remain at the gathering. As if conjured by her musings, Ral Zarek appeared at her side again, an inscrutable expression on his face.

Her guild mate had been chatting with Tomik after leaving her side, but when he’d sensed a startling surge of energy rush out of the Living Guildpact, he’d instantly turned his attention back on her, surmising the only person capable of causing a loss of control in Jace like that was Lorissa. Thus he had been witness to what appeared to be a rather obvious use of power to seduce her. He’d watched her body sway and react to seemingly nothing at all; he had a fairly good idea that telekinesis was involved. He had been utterly shocked by the man’s actions though; Jace was normally a cool and collected individual capable of thinking on his feet and in command of himself. Whatever the Living Guildpact felt for this woman was strong enough to override that innate part of his personality and Ral found himself wondering how dangerous that could be. Thankfully, the other man seemed to finally come to his senses before taking things to a point of no return and left.

At the bewildered look of confusion on Lorissa’s face, Ral understood she had no idea who had been using their powers on her. He pondered what she knew of Jace and his abilities; she didn’t know he was the Living Guildpact but it also seemed as if she had no idea he was a mind mage. The man had shared almost nothing of himself with her, which made Ral wonder about the nature of their interactions. Perhaps it was nothing but sex. He hoped so. It was Ral’s assignment to pair her with Venser and something based strictly on physical attraction would be much easier to overcome.

“There’s nothing that says emissaries are required to stay the whole night at these things,” he murmured by way of greeting, earning a dazed and grateful look from his guild mate.

“Is that so,” she said with obvious relief. “Will you be fine if I leave now then? I need to…take care of something at home.”

Ral nearly laughed at that; he could only imagine the state of her body right now after being played with by such potent powers. But he wasn’t supposed to know about that, having only sensed them because they had come from a Planeswalker like himself. “I’m perfectly capable of amusing myself for the rest of the evening.”

She smiled at him and nodded, turning to leave, before it occurred to them both that she’d arrived in the first place by teleportation and she had no magic by which to leave. She glanced back at him right as he sighed and reached for her arm. Power shimmered out from his body into hers and a dizzying instant later they were both standing in the library at Nivix.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, her thoughts already centered on getting home without jumping on some poor strange man like a lust crazed maniac.

Ral saw the wild gleam in her eyes and briefly considered escorting her home but then recalled Tomik was waiting for him back at the party. She could take care of herself, she was a big girl. And he had a feeling Jace might be aware if something happened to her. So he bid her goodnight and vanished, eager to return to his partner.

Lorissa immediately headed to her place, grateful there was no one at the Aerie to see her dazed state. She was already making plans for some of her favorite toys and a bottle of wine, so she didn’t notice anything amiss as she approached her front door. When the gentle hand descended to tangle in her hair, she was completely oblivious to it. Although her ears heard, “This is nothing but a dream,” perfectly well.

* * *

Jace managed to exit the gathering without incident, but he found that his feet had carried him to Lorissa’s neighborhood without him realizing it. He leaned against a wall facing her home, arms crossed as he stared blankly ahead, his thoughts still on what had happened earlier. His power had never leaked out of him before; he recognized it was reacting to his own urges at the time but it was till unnerving to know something like that could happen. He’d also never played with a woman’s body that way before, he hadn’t ever thought to try it but he could definitely say it had been a pleasant experience. Of course he was now sporting a major set of blue balls since he’d been forced to leave without finishing anything, but the discomfort was tolerable. He wondered if she was still at the glade; he’d originally intended to go back and keep her company as Ceren but he didn’t trust his self control at the moment. And right then, as he was remembering how utterly tempting she’d been that night, she came walking into view with a distracted look on her face.

His body instantly snapped to attention and blood rushed to his groin, his cock up before he’d even had time to straighten away from the wall. She was there, when he’d been trying to avoid her. But had he really? His subconscious had brought him directly to her house, where he’d known she would eventually return. As much as he might try to convince himself he’d intended to do the right thing, the second he saw her he realized he was lying to himself.

He wanted her with an intense desperation, but he understood they were at a point in their relationship that didn’t allow for such intimacies. She was suspicious of his intentions and rightly so, he’d be the first to admit he seemed to be controlled by his appetites when it came to her. His body urged him to think of a way, and as she paused to open her door it came to him in a flash of insight. He was a master of mental magic and illusions; he could have her and make her think it was nothing more than a dream. His brain tried to warn him that was a terrible idea for multiple reasons, but his body simply shut it down, carrying him across the distance that separated them before she had time to walk inside. He ran a hand through her dark locks as he whispered to her the command to make her think she was sleeping.

She weaved on her feet for a moment as the suggestion took hold in her mind; he placed his hand on her lower back and helped her step into the house, closing the door behind him. She turned to look at him, a surprised expression on her face that quickly morphed to a smoldering one.

“In my dreams again Jace,” she murmured, reaching up to place a fingertip between his collarbones and then lightly draw it in a line down over the center of his chest. “You keep showing up in them.”

He was savagely glad that was the case, on fire where she had touched him even though he was still wearing his clothing and armor. He tilted her head back so their eyes met as he whispered, “That’s only fair since you’re always in mine.”

She smiled, pleased by his vehement admission. Then she stepped back and looked him up and down with a frown. “You are wearing entirely too many clothes for my liking.”

He laughed and gestured at her own outfit. “Look who’s talking.”

“Ah but this is _my_ dream and I decide how it goes,” she said, touching the tip of his nose with one small finger. Then she shrugged good naturedly. “I suppose I can always undress you myself. Your body is so sexy it makes me crazy.”

He arched an eyebrow in surprise at her frankness, enjoying this forward side of her that he hadn’t got to see much of. His ego predictably responded to her interest in his physique and he hauled her down the hallway to her bedroom with all the finesse of a charging bull, so turned on he thought he was going to explode. And she hadn’t even touched him yet really. He had to remind himself that she thought this was all in her head; she should be the one dictating the pace no matter how hot he was to have her. He began reciting ingredients to various spells in his head until his boiling blood cooled.

By the time they reached her bedroom, Jace was feeling a little more in control of himself. Not enough to put a stop to the madness of what they were doing, but enough to pace himself. He had been waiting for this, wanting it for months, there would be no stopping him. Lorissa turned to him as he closed her bedroom door. “I want to take your clothes off now,” she whispered in his ear. "Can you stand still for me?"

At her words, his body trembled, the thought of her hands on him an exquisite aphrodisiac. He gave a confident nod, no stranger to little games during sex. He’d been with several women in the past and some had been more adventurous than others. He’d always handled anything they threw at him with utter calm. He should have known that like everything else, nothing was quite the same for him with this woman.

Lorissa stepped back from him, putting space between their bodies before reaching up to push the cowl completely off of his head, letting her fingers glide through his thick dark hair, her nails lightly scoring his scalp stirring up sensual shivers down his spine. She ever so slowly proceeded to caress his face, flitting down his brow, around his blue eye, along a sharp cheekbone before lingering on his mouth. Unlike many, she never seemed to mind or question his markings. She rubbed his bottom lip, her expression hungry, clearly wanting to kiss him but restraining herself. Heat swirled in his abdomen at that look; he was pleased that she was aroused from something so innocent, her desire for him gratifying and dizzying.

She turned her attention to the clasps on his cloak, her fingers working them loose with an effort. There was a scowl on her face as she finished removing them and he couldn’t help but chuckle at her disgruntlement. “What’s the matter, never removed a cloak before?”

She gave him an utterly serious look as she said, “No; I’ve never wanted to be the one to strip a man naked before either.”

The words stroked over his body, eliciting a throb deep in his groin. His eyes narrowed as she folded up the cloak and stepped away to place it on her nightstand. She paused to study him, her head tilted to one side, her expression dreamy and relaxed. “Your shoulders are so broad compared to mine,” she finally stated. “The cloak emphasizes them nicely but I don’t think you really need it. Plus, it hides your ass.”

Jace had his share of insecurities when it came to his looks; he could be taller, more muscular, have the more chiseled features the ladies loved. But he never felt that way with her. Lorissa seemed to think he was perfect, and it touched something deep inside of him that he’d kept guarded for most of his life. He smiled in delight, realizing that because she thought this was just a dream she was unafraid to reveal her full self to him. “My apologies, can you ever forgive me?”

She shrugged, smiling at his teasing tone. “As long as I get to grab onto it whenever I want.”

A heady surge of lust hit him and he assured her, “Anytime.”

Lorissa seemed satisfied with his response because she turned her attention to his heavy guards and then gloves, loosening them one finger at a time before sliding them free and tossing them aside. She gracefully lifted his hands up in the air and whispered, “Such amazing fingers; so talented at bringing my body pleasure.”

Jace’s pupils blew wide as she brought his hand to her mouth, sucking one finger in slowly. He watched mesmerized as it disappeared between her lips inch by inch, the wet heat making his dick ache with jealousy. She drew it back out just as leisurely, nipping the tip with a mischievous glint in her eye. His knees suddenly felt like jelly as he pictured her with his cock in her mouth, remembering how damn fantastic it felt, also recalling that she’d masturbated while thinking about him fucking her face.

His attention was drawn back to the present as she admiringly dragged her fingers up his leanly muscled arms and tip toed them across the angles of his collarbone. “This chest piece is a pain in my ass,” she commented matter of factly as she unfastened it. “You’ve fucked me so many times with it on, and it doesn’t feel nearly as good rubbing against my nipples as your chest does.”

He emitted a growl, hands flexing at his sides. “I’d apologize, but things get too hot too fast between us most of the time to properly undress. And frankly, I don’t regret it. Sex with you is unlike anything else.”

She dropped his chest armor on the ground near his arm guards and gloves, a small smile teasing the corners of her luscious lips. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

He’d never felt compelled to say it to anyone in his life, but he knew she wasn’t aware of that. She wasn’t well enough acquainted with him yet, but she would be. He didn’t want to get into a heavy conversation with her right now, when she wasn’t even aware this was reality instead of a fantasy in her sleep. Besides, she’d just turned her attention to the fastenings on the shirt he wore under his chest armor, undoing them rapidly and with ease. Some part of his male brain was offended, how did she know how to get a man’s shirt off so fast? Hadn’t she said she’d never done this before? Although now that he really thought about her comment, he realized she said she’d never _wanted_ to do it before.

Before his thoughts could tarry on that subject too long, she pushed the shirt down over his shoulders until it hung at his elbows and then she paused, her eyes drawn to his nipples as she reached out and softly stroked the muscles of his chest. His skin felt tight where she touched, his already hard erection pulsing in response. She leaned forward ever so slowly and tentatively licked over the ridge of a pectoral, trailing all the way over the nipple as well and an electric jolt zapped through Jace. His breathing quickened as she closed her mouth around it to suck before gently biting down. He shifted in place, reminding himself to stay fucking still, but not many of his partners had bothered exploring his body so thoroughly and she hadn’t even gotten to the waist yet. He might die.

She suddenly stepped back, looking at him almost shyly before reaching up to caress her own nipples, which were now hard points under the surface of her clothing. “Touching yours makes mine ache,” she whispered, cupping her breasts for a moment before sighing, “You’ll have to return the favor later.”

His mouth watered at the thought; he loved the way her body responded when he played with her tits. Sucking on her nipples made her crazy with desire, something he appreciated very much since he already enjoyed sampling them anyway. His dick started to leak in his underwear as he recalled the begging sounds she tended to make when he licked and suckled her breasts. He wanted to bury his face in them, or his cock. Had he actually promised to stand still? Did a nod really count?

Jace’s gaze snapped down as slender fingers feathered over his abdominals, his entire body tautening as the muscles twitched from the visceral pleasure. Her eyes narrowed to displeased slits as she reached the top of his sash slung around his waist. “Now this thing I hate, always hiding that gorgeous cock of yours from view. Although it’s probably for the best, otherwise I’d end up staring at the crotch of your pants every time I was around you.”

His mouth fell open in shock; he hadn’t realized that was something she’d tried to see when they were together. He guessed he shouldn’t be so astonished, considering some of the visions he’d seen in her mind. Still, it was surprising to hear such an admission from a mostly innocent and naïve looking woman. Somehow that made it even sexier, knowing such a naughty mind hid behind such a sweet face. She tugged the sash free and then dropped to her knees, sending his already aroused body into a feverish state of anticipation.

Having any woman on her knees in front of him was hot; having it be the one he obsessively fantasized about while he masturbated or fucked other women was mind melting. At the start of this he’d been sure of his ability to let her do as she pleased; now he was hanging on by a fragile thread. His breathing was harsh as she leaned forward to unbuckle his boots, turning her face so her cheek deliberately brushed ever so lightly against the outline of his shaft, the barest hint of a touch making him twitch as urgent need lashed through him.

She casually slung his boots over by his sash and then looked up at him through her eyelashes as she reached up to undo his belt. Jace forgot how to breathe when he saw the lust in her eyes. But her voice was casually indifferent as she removed the belt and said, “I have a couple of these you know. You keep leaving them with me.”

She could have all of his damn belts as far as he was concerned. As long as she kept looking at him like that, he’d give her anything she wanted. She smiled as if reading his mind and then undid his chaps and the snap to his pants. He politely lifted first one leg and then the other so she could remove them. She took her time about it, eyeing his muscles as they came into view and then catching him off guard by leaning forward to nuzzle down the curve of an inner thigh. He let out a groan, ready to snap.

She wisely refrained from doing it to the other thigh, pausing to fold the pants and chaps before neatly placing them on the ground. Then she rocked back on her heels to just look at him as he stood there in his last scrap of clothing; a pair of deep blue underwear that did absolutely nothing to conceal his obvious erection. “How delicious you are,” she finally murmured, spreading her legs slightly where she knelt. “I’m so wet for you right now.” 

Jace growled at her words, something primitive and wild swirling inside of him and he was wondering exactly when he could move. The stupid underwear was on, so he had a terrible feeling he was still bound to remain in place. She gave him a very saucy glance and then she ran her tongue along the silhouette of his cock; it seared him even through the thin silk of his underwear. It also shattered his ability to keep his word; not only because it felt so good he thought he would die if he didn’t get inside her, but also because of the teasing behind the action.

She must have realized she’d gone too far because she said, “Wait, do you want me to undress?”

“Don’t bother,” he rumbled as he pulled her to her feet, tossing her onto her bed, ridding himself of the underwear and then landing on her an instant later. He flipped up the bottom of her dress, pausing to appreciate the tiny blue thong she was wearing for half a second before yanking it off.

He was mad with desire but even so he didn’t want to hurt her so he slipped his hand between her thighs, sighing with relief when he came into contact with the sleek fluid of her arousal. “Did you like that baby, undressing me?”

“As much as you liked me doing it,” she moaned, her back arching as he slid a pair of fingers deep inside her.

He gritted his teeth as her tight heat surrounded them, but maintained his sanity long enough to stroke deep inside to help her prepare to take him. The way he was feeling at the moment, he couldn’t guarantee to be either slow or gentle. Luckily, she seemed to like it just fine when he was occasionally rough in bed. When her hips rose up to meet the next thrust of his hand, he decided she was more than ready. He glided his body up over hers, his hips between her thighs as he guided his swollen cock to her dripping pussy. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he eased inside, the pleasure so intense it almost robbed him of his sanity. It had been so long since he’d been with her; he’d started to question whether anything could have felt as good as she did in his memories. He was elated to discover the fantasy paled before the reality; the fit so perfect it bordered on unbearable.

Jace took a few steadying breaths, trying to calm his raging need, but Lorissa was having none of that. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked her hips upward, pulling him in hard and fast. He let out a groan at the piercing sensations elicited by her movement and then he gave up trying to be a gentleman. His hands clamped down on her hips, anchoring her in place as he swiftly thrust into her, each stroke slightly harder and deeper than the last. 

“Oh yes just like that,” she gasped, her words affecting him like the most lavish praise he’d ever heard, his dick seemingly growing harder if possible.

The fabric of her dress chafed against his chest; he wanted to feel her skin. He pushed up on his elbows to look down at her; her hair was fanned out on the bed around them and her eyes were closed. The expression of rapture on her face was at once arousing and satisfying in the most primal way. No one else could do this to her; he’d kill them first. Startled by the violence of the thought, he dropped his gaze down to her beautiful breasts, watching as they bounced with each thrust of his cock into her cunt. Her nipples were pressed up to the fabric and their outline seemed to beckon him. He leaned onto one arm and used his free hand to pull the bodice down underneath her tits so they were framed and lifted by the material. The color of her areolas was some indefinable shade between dark pink and pale red, as vivid to his vision as any berry he’d seen in nature. For a second he just hung suspended over her because he enjoyed the view so much. 

Then he dropped his head down and drew one tip into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue before sucking on it hard. Jace felt her pussy spasm the same instant she moaned; he fucking loved how sensitive her body was. He did it again just to hear her sigh and feel her squeeze around his cock, the satisfaction of her response as exquisite as the sensation itself. He flexed his muscles, picking up speed, his hips slapping against the back of her thighs, her ankles locked tight around his torso. The friction was fantastic; the silky dripping heat welcoming every inch of his dick as he thrust into her again and again. 

“Mmmm Jace you feel so good,” she panted, his whole body tensing as she said his name for the first time during sex. She’d never done that before, apparently she felt comfortable doing it now because she didn’t think this was reality. Whatever the reason, hearing her say his name excited him even more, delicious waves rippling through his body.

“You take my cock so fucking well Lorissa,” he growled, his hand dropping down to cup her ass and anchor it in place as he pounded into her slippery cunt. “Your pussy was made for me.”

She gasped her approval, her nails digging into his back, and he kissed her like he wanted to devour her. It was maddeningly true, she felt perfect. He couldn’t get enough of this; never have enough of her. He felt the tension rising in her body, his own already rapidly approaching the point of no return. Some practical part of his mind warned him he had to be careful; if he got off inside her she would know this wasn’t a dream in the morning. He wildly considered ejaculating on her breasts, the thought arousing in the extreme, remembering how she’d been curious what it would look like. His cock throbbed painfully at the tempting thought and he gritted his teeth, trying to hold onto control so she finished first. As much as he wanted it; that wasn’t a possibility either since he hadn’t taken all of her clothes off. He was too close now; he wasn’t going to stop to try and figure out how to remove the damn dress. It wasn’t like he could launder it afterwards either.

Lorissa started making these beautiful whimpering sounds, her pussy getting tighter with every penetration of his dick. She leaned up and started nipping at his neck, subconsciously begging him for more an instant before groaning out, “Fuck me harder Jace.”

His eyes rolled as he shuddered at the request, his body eagerly obeying, both hands dropping down to lift her ass up so he could use his knees for leverage as he pumped into her wet cunt over and over. He felt it the moment she came; her pussy getting so tight his vision went out of focus. He fought off his own orgasm, pleasure searing his nerves as she spasmed around his shaft again and again. The moment her body relaxed, he slipped his penis out of her pussy and crawled up so he knelt over her face.

Her eyes, drowsy with contentment, locked onto his as he propped her head up on a pillow an instant before shoving his cock in her mouth. He felt her moan as he started thrusting, her lips stretched wide around his dick, her hands coming up to grab his ass. He spread his knees wider and leaned slightly forward and down, one palm coming to rest on the mattress in her hair, his hips relentlessly forcing her mouth to take every inch of his cock that would fit. He reached behind him, his heel pressing down on her pubic bone as his palm rubbed against her clit and his fingers pushed into her pussy. He felt her clench hard as she moaned around his dick. His body started shaking as her head lunged up, eagerly sucking him off, not pulling away even when the head of his cock hit the back of her throat.

He thrust into her mouth hard and fast, his fingers mirroring the motion of his hips, his balls tightening as he felt her growing wetter and tighter every time his dick slid over her tongue. An excruciating tension coiled in his gut and then he groaned as he felt his climax approaching, precum dripping onto her tongue. Lorissa’s mouth hummed around his cock as she moaned again and then her pussy cinched tight around his fingers. He felt the ripples of her orgasm and knowing she got off from sucking his dick catapulted him into his own release. He came down her throat hard, seeming to spew a never-ending stream of white hot cum between her lips. She drank it all down, her cunt quivering around his fingers as she rode out her own climax. It was so fucking sexy he knew he’d be able to go again in an instant, but he realized he shouldn’t; he’d already broken all the boundaries of propriety by doing this in the first place.

Jace carefully slid down onto the bed beside her, his chest heaving and his body suffused in bliss. He pulled her into his arms, hungrily memorizing the look of her swollen lips glazed with his cum before reaching out to gently wipe it away. He couldn’t leave any signs of being there after all. She sighed and snuggled into him, her head on his chest, her hair surrounding him in silken chains at once fragile and inescapable. In that moment, everything in his life felt right. He was content. It was a rare experience for him and for once he didn’t try to resist it or protect himself from the vulnerability it brought with it. He simply enjoyed the sensation.

He glanced down at Lorissa as her breathing slowed; she had finally succumbed to the sleep he’d convinced her she was in. He placed a light kiss on the top of her head before reluctantly climbing out of the bed. He dressed slowly, avidly studying her peaceful features and her beautiful body. He knew what he’d done was a terrible thing; he should not have used his powers to seduce her without her actual consent. And yet still he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. She had been totally open with him; playful and sensual and he was glad he’d experienced every second of it.

Once he had his clothes back on, he set about righting hers. He couldn’t resist rubbing her nipples with his thumbs, growling when she moaned in her sleep and the tips grew hard. He chastised himself as he quickly pulled her top back up and then retrieved her panties from the floor. It was torture drawing the tiny thong back up the sleek length of her legs, but he forced himself to behave as he slipped the underwear back on. He could feel himself responding to her again already and he sighed, not understanding his addiction to her but accepting it was there nonetheless. He pulled a blanket up over her and then with one last look, he teleported outside. 

* * *

“The boy hasn’t walked recently,” the great figure grumbled as it strolled across fields of ash, stirring up a cloud of dust in its wake that was as dark as its mood.

“He’s been too busy trying to get laid,” the man with him muttered, his own manner deep in thought.

“The same female again,” it was a statement more than a question. At the man’s nod, the massive Walker let out a low rumble of displeasure. “I may need to do something about this. My interest is in weakening his presence on Ravnica, not having him loitering about to interfere in my plans.”

"I’m not entirely sure he’d notice right now,” the man shrugged. “He’s been spending all of his spare time manipulating this woman. And I have seen him use his powers in ways that I thought would go against his nature; she seems to bring out the worst in him.”

“Is that so,” the lumbering entity said, it’s expression now thoughtful. “Perhaps we should see how far he will cross his boundaries. I will think on this for a while; a helping nudge might be in order. I just have to find the perfect person for the job.”


	37. Chapter 37

Jace made his way home from Lorissa’s place in a daze. He could have teleported all the way there but instead he chose to walk so he could try and marshal his frazzled thoughts. He felt enervated and elated at once; the conflicting sensations a direct result of what had just taken place. He’d used his powers on a woman to convince her she was dreaming and then he’d proceeded to have sex with her. It had been one of the most incredible and intimate fucks he’d ever had; it had also been immoral in spite of how much he’d grown to care for her.

She’d had no chance to consent; even if he knew in her mind she wanted him it still didn’t make what had happened right. Had he just raped her? He wasn’t sure, but he suspected that he had. It didn’t matter that she liked it or that she wanted him; he had taken away her choice. He hated when choices were taken away from him. He had spent his entire life being used and lied to; part of him despised the thought that he might have done that to her. Although he hadn’t used her; his feelings for her were as sincere as they were confusing.

It had been a long time since he had felt so drawn to someone, which was crazy given how little they knew of each other. In some ways, it reminded him of when he had first met Liliana. He had fallen for her fast and hard; heedless of the red flags he should have seen from a mile away. The time they had spent together in those early days had been perfect; they were brought ever closer by their shared experiences until he was completely fooled by her. And he knew how well that had ended; the pain and betrayal following him for years. He’d lost his ability to trust over the passing of time as one disappointment bled into another, but it was matters of the heart that had struck the deepest blows. Now even when he established connections with others, he held a large part of himself back. His sense of self preservation was too strong to allow for anything else; experience had taught him that being reliant on others was dangerous. 

Part of him was desperate to trust again. He craved the closeness he remembered from his younger days. The happiness of sharing himself with someone else. He lived with loneliness daily and he used his adventures during Walking to try and banish it. But he couldn’t hide from himself. He had no one he could fully confide in; no one he felt at peace with. There was no one he could share his fears and longings with. When sadness and doubt became overwhelming, there was no one to lean on. Every time he had tried to connect with another person that way, they had either been killed or turned against him. Each incident had cut his soul until now it was bleeding and scarred.

Did he really want to take a chance again with Lorissa? Did he want to open himself up to the possibility of pain again? He wasn’t sure he could survive another betrayal or heartbreak; each time he had pulled himself back together but he had lost a piece of himself until he was beginning to feel increasingly hollow. He might shatter if he took the risk of revealing himself to someone and failed again.

Lorissa was also weak and vulnerable. For most people that wouldn’t be such a concern, since the average individual led a relatively stable if mundane life. For someone like Jace, who walked across the multiverse and had a trail of adversaries a mile long, it was an issue that mattered. He had come to believe if he ever had a life long partner; it would need to be someone who could stand beside him against his enemies. Unfortunately his foes were so powerful, that companion would have to be as well. While he didn’t doubt that she was a loyal woman who would do what she could to protect the one she loved, she had no magic. She was physically a small and slender female. She did have a formidable mind, but that wouldn’t be enough to protect her or him. From a purely survivalist point of view, he should end this thing with her now before they went any further.

But as soon as the thought popped into his head, he immediately pushed it away, his stomach roiling with nausea and his chest tight. She was a ray of light in his darkness, warm and elusive but still inspiring hope. She made him laugh, shout, shake with equal parts desire and frustration. To banish that from his life would be intolerable. He wasn’t certain he was even capable of doing it, given how he kept coming back to her again and again. He couldn’t say if it was the woman herself or his reactions to her that kept him returning. Maybe he just liked the way he was when he was with her, the loneliness fading away when they were together.

He knew that even though he was wildly attracted to her, it wasn’t just the sex that had him spinning in circles. He was drawn to the warmth he felt growing inside of himself when he was with her. After so many years of guarded isolationism where he repressed his emotions, he’d grown to feel as if he was encased in ice. A tomb of his own making, effectively killing off the vulnerable side of him to protect himself. It had been less frightening to build that wall than wonder if there was something wrong with him, some reason that he could never find and keep genuine love. 

Jace had been through many things in his short life; a great deal of which he couldn’t recall thanks to his own choices. He had faced powerful enemies and incalculable odds and triumphed. He had suffered from sorrow and felt fear numerous times and persevered. But it seemed that the one being that was the most difficult for him to surmount was himself.

He was most likely obsessed with Lorissa; the hows and whys he couldn’t explain and he had decided to give up trying. She made him feel. Intensely. To the point where rationality and even morals to an extent simply ceased to matter. His responses to her were almost entirely instinctual and reckless; more often than not he regretted his decisions later. And he couldn’t even blame her for it; she did nothing whatsoever to entice him. They ran into one another at random or he sought her out. It was as if he couldn’t stay away. He couldn’t deny his attraction to her bordered on unhealthy.

Part of him wondered if it was because he couldn’t seem to have her. Oh, she slept with him quite willingly but she was guarded and cautious otherwise. He hadn’t realized how much of her personality she kept hidden from him until recently; being around her in disguise as Ceren and then later in her “dream” had revealed to him another side to her completely. She was funny, interested in other people’s perspectives and experiences and flirtatious; something he hadn’t really witnessed from her before. It was as if she had walls of her own; perhaps she kept a distance from everyone because she was incapable of magic and knew that made her different than many other people on Ravnica. She most likely had her own sort of loneliness to deal with, so would be understanding of his own. The realization seemed to pull him even deeper into her control. Then again her being unobtainable wasn’t anything new to his dating life, neither Liliana nor Emmara had fallen at his feet; he was used to not getting the girl in the end.

Whatever it was, she also brought out things in him that he didn’t like nor want to accept. He abused his power repeatedly in his pursuit of her when he liked to believe he walked the straight path for the most part. He lost his head around her all the time when he normally believed himself to be cool and rational in a crisis. He failed to think out his decisions when he generally prided himself on being a master planner. He rashly carried out actions without discretion when he considered himself a strategic implementer. He didn’t recognize himself around her; or maybe it was more accurate to say he saw something in himself when he was with her that he hadn’t in a long time. Something that made him uncomfortable and on edge. The careful construct of himself that he’d spent so long hiding behind cracked a little more around the edges each time he was with her.

Yet despite all this, he still wanted her. He felt alive in her company; the stagnation that threatened to overwhelm him vanished when he was with her. As much as the negative aspects of his personality alarmed him, he was also intrigued by what he found in himself when he was with her. He felt at once freed and enslaved by her presence; the dichotomy strangely appealing. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t lie to himself or control his honest responses. No one wanted to admit to their flaws and Jace had pride to spare, but after hiding his emotions for so long it was almost a relief to be fallible around her. It was as if his true self emerged; both the good and the bad. And that was terrifying. The pain she could inflict on him had the potential to be ruinous.

As he fell in love with her, it could destroy him.

If, he corrected himself, a chill running down his spine. If he fell in love with her.


	38. Chapter 38

When Lorissa woke the next morning, she felt refreshed and yet strangely sore. She wasn’t sure why that might be; she couldn’t recall exerting herself that much at the party. Although once she thought back on the night, she couldn’t remember getting into bed either. She did, however, remember her erotic dream about Jace with vivid clarity and she blushed, burying her head under the covers as the images danced around in her brain. Why oh why did she keep fantasizing about him? Yes he had beautiful eyes, a nice body, talented hands, a mouth that could make her scream for days…

With a sigh she quickly flipped off the covers and jumped out of bed before that line of thinking could develop any further. She got ready for work and reminded herself to pick up Nix later that evening, since he was still at her parents’ place. Despite telling herself that she was remaining neutral in regards to Jace, she still dressed carefully in case he happened to visit Nivix. It never hurt a girl’s confidence to look her best.

When she stepped out of the house, Venser was walking down the street to meet up with her. She was delighted to see he’d brought Nix with him; it saved her a trip later. Her Pride of the Clouds lion let out a bellowing cough of greeting and trotted over to her, nearly knocking her down as he nuzzled her. She laughed and scratched his ears before opening the door to her place and letting him inside.

As she closed the door behind her, she saw Venser’s head whip to the side and she paused in surprise before understanding hit. He’d been checking her out while her back was turned. She supposed her clothes were a bit more form fitting and revealing than usual; thanks to her brothers she knew how visual the male of the species was. She couldn’t help recalling the kiss they had shared, but a whole slew of complicated feelings reared up with that memory so she tamped it down and smiled at him. “Thank you for bring Nix home, it saves me a trip.”

Venser, who was embarrassed at having been almost caught ogling her in her tight pants and top, reluctantly returned his gaze to her and tried not to stare as he said, “It was no problem since I was headed over here anyway. Your parents were surprised when he barreled in the door last night.”

“Yeah, I had to go to a party for emissaries and I couldn’t bring him with me. I wasn’t sure how late it was going to run and rather than leave him home alone I thought he’d be better off there,” she replied as they began walking to Nivix together.

“How was it,” Venser asked, before frowning thoughtfully and adding, “Assuming you are allowed to talk about it with me.”

“I don’t think I’m not allowed to,” she said, although she wasn’t certain. Ral was a thorough individual though, she had a feeling he’d have mentioned if it was off limits to discuss. “It was interesting; there were people from all of the guilds there but no fighting. Well, I left early but up until then there wasn’t any trouble. It was actually refreshing to see all of the factions interacting peacefully for once.”

“It was probably due to the limited amount of attendees. People tend to lose intelligence as their numbers grow,” Venser wryly observed, and she was inclined to agree. 

Lorissa asked him how his night was and they traded small talk the entire way. She always felt comfortable with him; conversations between them were effortless and generally without stress. Since the kiss she had been aware of an underlying tension between them; she knew he was waiting on her even though she had been clear about her intentions. She had watched him during his research over the last several months; he was an intensely driven man with a brilliant mind; not at all the type to give up. Apparently his new plan was the waiting game; she couldn’t tell him what to do but she felt bad about it nonetheless.

When they arrived at Tabozav’s lab, she was startled to find Ral Zarek there waiting for her. She had no idea he came in so early; let alone why he was there. “Good morning,” she said, although it sounded like a question more than a greeting.

Ral gazed at them dispassionately, his eyes flicking over Venser as the two of them drew even with him. His eyebrow slowly arched up, as if to question what they were doing arriving together.

Before Lorissa could mumble out an explanation, Venser stepped into the line of fire. “I’m a friend of the family.”

As an account, it was both brief and terse, the very nature of it not inviting further questioning. Ral’s eyes narrowed on the other man. He really had nothing against Venser or Lorissa for that matter. In fact, he was much more in favor of them being paired up than seeing her with Jace; for multiple reasons. But he didn’t care for the arrogant fierceness the man was displaying; it was unnecessary and disrespectful, tempting the Storm Mage to put him in his place.

“How nice,” he said, the tone of his voice implying it was anything but, the air around him beginning to take on a heavy feeling as energy responded to his agitation.

Venser stiffened as he sensed Ral’s power, his own beginning to rise in answer. He was astonished to note this type of magic emitted a signature similar to his own; there was yet another Planeswalker on this plane. What was here then, that drew others of his kind?

Ral noted the dawning realization in Venser’s eyes and cursed himself for his slip of temper. He had not intended to reveal what he had become; anymore than he wanted to acknowledge what Venser was. The less people who knew of their nature the better; in this instance he should have been particularly careful to hide what he was. He quickly doused his power and gestured at Lorissa in an attempt to forestall any questions from the other man. “If you don’t mind, I need to have a word with Archivist deCar.”

Venser noted the evasion, but could hardly press the matter in front of her unless he wanted to disclose what he was. He didn’t think she was prepared for such a revelation, nor was their friendship on solid enough ground to survive it. He hadn’t opened up about his nature to many people and most of them had been Planeswalkers themselves. “By all means,” he finally muttered with a curt nod. “I do think we should have our own conversation later though.”

Ral gave him a tight smile of acknowledgement and then steered Lorissa to the other side of the lab, his hand firmly holding her elbow. When they were a sufficient distance away to ensure privacy, he said, “There are some requests that need to be reviewed before submitting them to the Living Guildpact this evening. I have left them on your desk in the library.”

What a tactless way to ask her to help him out; although now that the position was hers so was the work that accompanied it. Whether she wanted it or not. “I’ll start on it as soon as I am finished in the lab.”

He nodded his understanding and then his eyes took on a sharp, curious look. “Are you feeling better now? You seemed on edge last night at the party.”

They both knew she’d been in the grip of sexual desire, although Ral hadn’t let on he was aware of it. And unlike Lorissa, he did know what had caused it. He still couldn’t quite believe Jace had used his powers on her in that way, although at the time it had appeared to be an instinctual response on the Mind Adept’s part rather than a conscious choice. It was still an alarming lapse in self control from a being with incredible power and thus concerning to Ral.

Lorissa flushed as she recalled the night before but managed to keep her voice steady as she said, “Yep, all better now. Must have just been the stress of attending an emissary gathering for the first time.”

She sincerely hoped it was also the last gathering she had to attend; she needed to arrange a meeting with the Living Guildpact so she could have her status revoked.

Ral, although he had no right to ask her anything about her personal life in general, casually asked, “Did you have any visitors last night after the party? Or was it a boring night in?”

She was floored by the casual personal question; the Storm mage literally had no past connections with her outside of being in the same guild and did not strike her as the type to make small talk. Still, now that they had to work together as emissaries maybe he was trying to pave the way for a comfortable working relationship. Given his personality it didn’t seem likely, but she couldn’t think up any other reason. “Um, no. I went to bed not long after I got home.”

Ral was relieved to hear it; it implied the man was more in control than he’d seemed to be last night. He didn’t think Jace would be foolish enough to go after her while dressed as the Living Guildpact since the Mind Sculptor hadn’t told her the truth about her promotion yet. “When you’re finished with the paperwork bring it by my lab.”

He nodded once to Venser and Tabozav, who at some point had finally managed to tear his attention away from the experiment he was working on and was now scowling in Ral’s direction. Then he hastily retreated without another word, having no intention of ever setting up a private chat with Venser.

Lorissa watched him depart, faintly smiling at not only his abrupt exit but also the arrogant manner in which he had decreed she would bring him the papers. He was an odd person; fluctuating between brilliant and obtuse when it came to social situations. She suspected he would make a good friend though; he seemed as loyal as he was intense. She wasn’t looking forward to doing more work, although she was admittedly curious as to what sort of complaints people would present to a ruling body over the guild factions. And on the bright side she could ask to go with Ral when he met up with the Living Guildpact later; requesting an introduction to her boss was perfectly within the realms of normalcy.

. 


	39. Chapter 39

Venser watched Ral the entire time he was speaking with Lorissa, trying to determine the other man’s connection to her. From their body language and expressions, it seemed to be nothing more than a working relationship; although it was obvious he put her on edge and caught her off guard a few times as they talked. But there was no interest between them that he could see; this man wasn’t a rival for her affections. Only her time. Which, admittedly, she had very little of so it was easy for Venser to resent his presence. He already had to share her attention with her boss Tabozav, her guildmaster who had an unusual interest in her, another man who was attracted to her named Jace and her family. He really didn’t want anyone else stepping in on his time with her, his irritation growing as the two talked.

He blinked in surprise at his reaction, he wasn’t normally given to emotional behavior, preferring decisions based on logic. Perhaps it was the pressure of Niv-Mizzet’s request weighing on him. The dragon had not approached him since declaring Venser was to pursue Lorissa as a companion. He sincerely regretted agreeing to fulfill a favor of the parun’s choosing; at the time he’d had no idea it would be something of this nature. He’d thought he’d be asked to do something related to his magical aptitude or research, not a deeply personal matter.

Emotions were not something he was comfortable with. They tended to get the better of people, himself included. He understood it was what separated humanoids from his more intelligent inventions; a necessity developed by evolution to prevent races from killing themselves as well as others. But he firmly believed they were messy and unpredictable. He’d seen carefully calculated plans fall to pieces due to the emotions of parties involved.

He had always thought he had a decent grip on his. He had grown up with his share of tragedy. His mother had died when he was very young; his earliest memories were of his often absent father. His childhood had been one of lonely isolation, but even from a tender age he had been an inventor. He kept his mind occupied with creation to overcome the loneliness. When his father died in the swamps of their home, he came to understand that what he had thought was painful before was a shadow of the unbearable silence that ruled his life after that. He threw himself into his experiments and inventions, longing to leave the place that only held dark memories for him. And then one day Teferi strolled into his life and changed everything.

He had been ensnared in one crazy adventure after another until he had eventually met his demise. Or at least, he thought he had. Yet here he was, alive and well if a bit underpowered. He still had no idea how that had happened and he hadn’t been looking into it as much as he could. He was allowing his feelings for Lorissa to get in the way. Possibly because for the first time in his life he was at peace for the most part. Her family had welcomed him with open arms; it felt like he was one of them. Her mother Salinda was everything he’d dreamed of in a maternal figure; at once upright and kind. Her father Nostav had a big temper and an even bigger heart; a warrior of a man with the soul of healer. Venser sometimes had flashbacks to his best memories of his own father when he was with hers. Her aggravating twin brothers Peyrn and Pardic were the siblings he’d always longed for but never gotten; overbearing but equal parts brawn and brains. He felt blessed to spend the days with such wonderful people.

It was easy to fall for their daughter. To want to belong in a family as he’d never gotten to do. He had power to spare but it had never brought him happiness. In the past, only the act of creation had given him joy. Now, he was able to experience it in brief moments among the deCars and the temptation of it was greater than any he’d ever experienced.

Lorissa herself made it easy to do as well. While he knew she thought she held less value due to her lack of magic, he couldn’t care less about it. Her warmth towards everyone she met, her intelligence and her quirky humor more than made up for that in his opinion. He watched her quietly accept burden after burden from those around her so that she could make their lives easier; what she needed was someone who would put her first. Who would protect her from those that wanted to take advantage of her kindness. He didn’t think they realized what they were doing, any more than she did, or he would have aggressively interfered before now.

But it wasn’t his place to be her protector. She hadn’t granted him that right. She might not ever, as long as Jace was in the picture. It was apparent to Venser that the unfinished business between the two of them was serious and ran deep. Part of him thought he should bide his time and see how things played out, regardless of what Niv-Mizzet wanted. Otherwise she might grow to resent him if he pressed her while she was dealing with her unresolved feelings for Jace. The other side of him warned this would be a mistake in more ways than one. Allowing Jace the time to gain leverage wasn’t wise; nor was testing the limits of a dragon’s patience.

Thoughts of her and his pursuit of her had grown until they took up all of his spare time. He was supposed to be figuring out why he was back, how he had ended up on the plane of Ravnica, how he had powers when he had donated his spark to Karn. Unfortunately his memories were still firmly blank; he could recall nothing beyond the moment of what he had thought to be his death. Had he somehow walked to Ravnica while he was unconscious? Perhaps he’d only thought he was dying but he’d somehow survived transferring his spark. That didn’t seem likely, given it was the origin of his power, and yet here he was alive and well and slowly gaining strength daily. Was it possible he’d retained a fragment of it somehow?

Had someone brought him here then? There were other planeswalkers on this plane, this he already knew. He’d just discovered Ral was one, in fact. Jace appeared to be one as well. What was it about this place that drew their kind here? Was it some sort of power source that had called to him while he was dying? Had walking here somehow saved his life? For that matter, had Karn, Elspeth and his other friends survived?

The complicated series of thoughts brought on a piercing headache and he groaned to himself as he rubbed his forehead. Movement drew his attention back to the woman that was starting to consume most of his waking thoughts. His eyes narrowed when he saw the retreating form of Ral Zarek; the man was using her presence as a shield, correctly surmising that Venser would be reluctant to call him out in front of her. For now, the Sojourner chose to let him go; he knew where the Storm Mage worked after all. Finding him again shouldn’t be too difficult.

“What did he want,” Venser absently asked as Lorissa returned to her desk, his eyes lingering on the doorway, wondering if it was simply in the nature of Planeswalkers to hide what they were, or something more intrinsic to their survival.

She waved her hand nonchalantly. “Just to tell me about some papers that need sorting.”

“He came here to talk to you just for that,” he asked, surprised the mage hadn’t sent some lackey to do it for him.

“It’s emissary stuff,” she explained, clearly not at all concerned.

Venser let the matter drop, still distracted by his discovery of what Ral Zarek was. It couldn’t be a coincidence that there were so many Planeswalkers on this plane. He grimaced as a fresh wave of pain assaulted his head and then nearly fell off his seat when he felt a cool hand gently touch his forehead.

“Are you alright,” Lorissa asked, her eyes concerned as they met his. “You don’t look like you’re feeling well.”

She was standing so close he could almost count her individual eyelashes. Her fingers were lightly resting against his skin and the sensation was at once soothing and absurdly arousing. She touched him casually in passing throughout the day; he’d noticed she was equal parts physical contact and mental focus when she was interacting with people. He tried not to react to it when she did; he knew there was no meaning behind it. But his body had a will of its own and more often than not he had to escape her presence to jack off from the innocent touches.

This was something else; a more deliberate contact as an offer of comfort. She had seen he was in distress and she was trying to make him feel better. It bypassed his hormones and hit him in a far more personal way. Even as he warned himself not to read too much into her actions, his heart wanted it to be true. He’d been alone for so very long. He was tired of it.

He reached up very slowly and drew her hand down to his cheek, turning into the touch, his eyes locked on hers. He saw surprise on her face as he stroked the back of her hand with his fingers, his heart starting to race from the prolonged contact of their gazes. “Did you know that when I’m with you, I’m at peace? I’ve rarely felt that way in life. Thank you.”

Lorissa was struck speechless by the intensity of his look as much as the honesty of the gentle words. He was such a sincere, thoughtful man. It would be so easy to have a wonderful life with him. And she sensed in him a kindred soul, someone who had been alone and hidden his sorrows from the world behind a strong veneer. If only she hadn’t met Jace; hadn’t gotten tangled up in such a messy dalliance that had left her wounded and confused. But she had and Venser deserved someone who could give themselves over to a relationship completely. She wasn’t at a place where she could do that right now, for all she knew it could be years before she recovered from whatever it was that seemed to be between her and Jace.

“I wish,” she started to say, only to stop when he placed a finger against her lips to prevent her from speaking.

“I know,” he replied, his wistful expression tinged with quiet sadness.

The dignity of his response brought the sting of tears to her eyes; Venser felt his chest constrict painfully at the sight. He understood she wasn’t ready. And he wasn’t willing to risk a future with her by pushing, Niv-Mizzet’s demands be damned. 


	40. Chapter 40

Lorissa found that working on the complaints for the Izzet League was far more interesting than she’d thought it would be. She had known that there was a great deal of responsibilities and activities in what most people would consider every day running of a guild, but she hadn’t given it much thought. Now, as she read through case after case, she had a better appreciation of the numerous things that could go wrong as well. There were shortages of supplies, misappropriated funds, seating arrangements that led to uncomfortable working conditions. All of these complaints she deemed as unnecessary for outside guidance, shuttling them to a pile for Niv-Mizzet’s attention. She assumed he would simply set them on fire.

However a complaint against the Azorius Senate for interfering with the work on the main boilers in New Prahv was something she decided the Living Guildpact should address. She knew how secretive the guilds were in regards to the interiors of their guild halls; the Azorius would not like another guild going through any section of their inner areas. However it was the charge of the Izzet engineers to oversee civic duties. The Azorius in this case should allow the repairs; perhaps with oversight from a Senate official. She jotted down a recommendation in the margin of the complaint and added it to a much smaller stack of papers that she had for Ral Zarek.

The afternoon passed quite quickly as she scoured through the various documents; it was with some surprise that she looked up to discover the Storm Mage silently watching her from the doorway. His expression was thoughtful bordering on curious, but as soon as he realized she was looking for him, it faded away to one of annoyance. “I thought you were going to bring those by my desk.”

She snorted at him, gesturing at the massive mound in front of her. “I’m still working on it; doesn’t look like anyone’s been going through these on a regular basis.”

They both knew he hadn’t bothered doing it in the past; it was the only explanation for such an enormous amount of paperwork. He sniffed disdainfully as he strode into the room. “I’m afraid I was too busy handling experiments for the guildmaster to have time to do it.”

“I’m afraid your ego was too big to make time,” she muttered under her breath.

Ral couldn’t quite hear what she said, but he had a general idea and he had to suppress a chuckle at her defiance. She was an interesting girl despite her lack of power. In spite of being unable to defend herself against most enemies, she still indulged in an impertinence that was as unwise as it was amusing. Perhaps she didn’t fear death. Instead, it could very well be that she feared being controlled by her lack of power. That would explain her constant challenges to authority when she didn’t agree. And suddenly it fully hit him how terrible it would be to go through life defenseless. He could still recall the difficult days of his youth, memories he shied away from.

So his demeanor was much milder, tempered by remembered pain, when he said, “Why don’t you just call it an evening? It looks like you have a few things for me to present to the Living Guildpact already and frankly I never take too much to him at once. He already has quite an assortment of issues to handle on a daily basis.”

Lorissa studied him suspiciously, unused to deliberate thoughtfulness from the magewright. When he maintained his coolly benign look, she finally smiled and replied, “That works for me. I was able to prune the requests I went through down to just a few. Are you going to see him tonight?”

Ral Zarek glanced down at the pages she passed to him, nodding absently as he did so, completely missing the calculating smile that came to her lips at his gesture. “Yes, right after I finish up a last experiment in my lab.”

She leaned forward to gain his attention as she said, “Excellent! Do you think I could come with you to meet him?”

Ral experienced a rare surge of panicked indecision. On the one hand, he wanted her to discover Jace’s identity because he had a hunch it would throw a serious wrench in the Mind Adept’s attempt to seduce her, thereby furthering Ral’s own mission of setting her up with Venser. On the other hand, after what he had seen at the party, he wanted to prevent her from meeting up with Jace any more than necessary thanks to the towering lust the two of them seemed to share. It was possible that she might forgive the man for his gross lapse in the heat of the moment. And outside of Niv-Mizzet’s machinations to set Lorissa up with a tool of his choosing, Ral had his own reasons for steering her towards the Sojourner.

“Not tonight,” he finally answered, his mind sorting through plausible excuses and future arrangements. “I’ll need to get his approval first; after that we can set up a meeting for the two of you.”

Lorissa frowned in disappointment, but she recognized the logic in what he was saying. The Living Guildpact was a very busy individual; it made sense he would need to schedule out his time in advance. Still, she was curious not only to meet the man in person but also to know what had prompted him to promote her to emissary. She also wanted to present her resignation. She had no intention of remaining in the position a moment longer than necessary; she firmly believed someone like Tabozav to be more worthy of the role. She couldn’t exactly quit without speaking to the person in charge though.

Ral hastily took his leave before she could ask him anything else, for a moment she watched his retreating figure bemusedly. Then she started clearing off her desk, only to pause when a shadow fell over her. She looked up into the smiling eyes of Venser as he reached over to neatly stack a pile of papers before handing them to her. His warm presence was relaxing to her senses; together they cleaned up her area and then wordlessly started walking to her house. He had become such an integrated part of her life; she saw him on a daily basis at work and on the occasions when she visited her parents place. It seemed they loved him almost as much as their own children and her brothers spoke highly of him. As if she needed anyone to sing his praises to her; she was well aware of his wonderful qualities. With a pang, she realized how empty her life would feel if he weren’t there.

As they paused in front of her door, she impulsively threw her arms around him in a quick hug. Startled, Venser nonetheless drew her in close for a moment, his arms secure around her as she listened to the steady beating of his heart. “Thank you for being my friend,” she murmured an instant before pulling away from him, smiling at him as she stepped inside her home.

There was a brilliant warmth shining in his eyes as he waved goodbye to her and continued on down the street.

* * *

A cloaked figure emerged from the shadows of the alley across from Lorissa deCar’s residence, eyes burning with barely contained fury. Jace hated how he felt whenever he saw her with another man, but the feelings were particularly intense and loathsome when the person in question was Venser. He had seen with his own eyes that day in the library at Nivix that the other man was attracted to her and he knew they spent virtually every day together. Any time he spotted the pair together they were usually talking comfortably or laughing. The interactions between them seemed relaxed and peaceful, a far cry from the tumultuous ones between her and Jace. He couldn’t remember a time she had smiled at him other than recently when she thought she was dreaming. Yet she freely bestowed such gestures on Venser with consistent frequency. Jealous and resentful didn’t even begin to describe the way he felt about the guy.

Seeing Lorissa hug Venser only added fuel to the fire; what exactly were her feelings for him? The two of them were obviously close; were they just friends or something more in her eyes? Was Venser one of the reasons she seemed so hesitant in pursuing anything with him? None of these were questions Jace could ask her; he had no right and he suspected if he tried to broach the subject it would anger her. The last thing he wanted to do was get into another argument with her; she already didn’t take his interest in her seriously and he didn’t want her to think every time they talked it would degenerate into a disagreement. But he had to know something about how she felt for Venser; the doubt and suspicion gnawing at him like a festering wound as he purposefully strode to the door, the air around him shimmering with magic. 


	41. Chapter 41

Lorissa had just changed out of her working outfit into a comfortable top and shorts when there was a crisp knock at her door. Frowning in equal parts surprise and annoyance, she glanced at Nix, but the great Pride Lion was contentedly grooming himself in the spacious living room, looking incongruous amongst her piles of books and scrolls that needed sorting. Whoever had decided to drop by unannounced wasn’t a threat. As a rule, she didn’t get many visitors other than family members and being a single female working for low wages, she didn’t live in the best part of town. Her place was comfortable and perfect for one; the interior boasted older hand carved woodwork that had drawn her to it despite the questionable neighborhood. It could never be considered modern with its outdated tiling and interior designs but she found its unique character charming, something the newer buildings lacked. With a lion in residence she didn’t have to worry about the shady area as much as some; but she still didn’t like it when she got an unexpected guest.

Thus she only opened the door the tiniest fraction so she could peek outside to see who it was. She was startled when familiar hazel blue eyes peered back at her, Venser amusedly arching an eyebrow at her through the narrow crack. Upon seeing him, her earlier trepidation vanished and she gave him a broad smile as she moved back so he could step inside.

“Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you again until the morning,” she said by way of greeting as he moved past her so she could close the door behind him. “Did you forget something?

As he turned and faced her, she belatedly noticed how close their bodies were in the confines of her entryway and immediately felt crowded by his presence. He was a big man, broad through the shoulders and well built in stark contrast to her short, slender stature; consequently she felt dwarfed by him most of the time. She had a personal area she liked to maintain around herself, like anyone else, and having a man inside of that zone made her distinctly uncomfortable, even if that man was a friend. She instinctively tried to shuffle backwards to get some space, but the door was at her back and in the way. He watched her with a strange expression, at once bemused and curious. She realized then that she probably looked ridiculous trying to skitter away from him, so she went still for the sake of her dignity and gave him another bright smile, genuinely pleased to see him.

He blinked as if stunned, the enigmatic look on his face shifting to something recognizable; a heat that was distinctly intent and intense. It was also out of place; she wasn’t used to seeing such an expression on his face since he was generally given to stoic behavior. Then he swiftly closed the distance between them, moving with an assured grace as he murmured, “Yes, this.” And then he kissed her.

It caught her completely by surprise, in more ways than one. Venser had been so careful to be respectful of her lately that she had begun to wonder if she’d imagined his attraction to her. Their first kiss seemed like a distant dream now, brief as it was. It was only the occasional stolen glance on his part that had clued her in to his continuing interest, along with the gentle indirect verbal queries he made every once in a while. But since that day, he hadn’t tried to kiss her again, or engage in other sort of sexual contact. It was almost as if he had withdrawn from the pursuit; something she found at once a relief but also a disappointment. 

He was definitely engaging her in contact now though. The one time they had kissed, he had been confident but questioning, letting her lead the pace and depth of the embrace. He’d been skilled but almost submissive, careful to read her for queues. This time, his mouth took hers like he owned it, with a fierce intensity that demanded a response. There were no soft, searching touches. No asking whatsoever. His tongue swept over hers with assertive, heated strokes that had her insides melting under the scorching onslaught. His palms were resting flat against the door on either side of her head, his strong, hot body leaning into hers pressing her back against the wood making her aware of how overtly large he was compared to her. The disparity in their sizes sent a salacious thrill through her, hardening her nipples and making her thighs shift as a dull ache began between her thighs.

He must have noticed her small response because he let out a faint, muffled groan and the kiss deepened as he moved his tongue with increasing aggression. His hips restlessly brushed against her; she was startled to feel his erection pressing firmly on her abdomen. He’d gotten so hard so fast just from kissing. Even more surprising was her own response to that firmness, her body seeming to open in receptive anticipation, languid heat sluicing through her as she grew wet. How different it was this time from the last; their previous kiss had been nice and somewhat arousing; this one made her feel almost frantic and mindless with desire.

There was something oddly recognizable about the quality of it, her mind trying to recall why this set of reactions on her part seemed engrained. As her hands slowly unclenched from her sides to come to rest on his trim waist, it seemed perfectly natural when one of his thighs slipped between hers. He pressed it up against seam of her shorts, flexing lean muscle so that it rubbed against her clit through the thin material. The contact was electric, delicious sensation skittering from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet, eliciting a moan from her that had his body tautening under her hands an instant before he reached down to drag one of her legs up so that she was fully straddling his thigh as he ground against her. She eagerly rubbed her crotch against him, the pressure on her clit so deliciously sharp it bordered on pain. 

Somehow the kiss got even hotter, his tongue and body moving against hers in a sensual rhythm of blatant sexuality. It reminded her of the primitive heat that had only ever existed between her and Jace before and she was shocked to feel it now with Venser. She responded to that skillful display, instinctively trying to get closer to him, excited by the way his erection rubbed against her stomach. The hand he had hooked around the back of her thigh tightened briefly when she flagrantly leaned into him, the tension between them palpable. She slid her palms down his lower back to grab onto his ass, pulling him more securely against her, and she gasped when she felt his hips rotate in a gesture at once as mind blowing as it was strangely familiar.

It pulled her out of her daze and helped her center her thoughts. She was about two seconds away from having an orgasm with a man she didn’t want to lead on. What’s more, something just struck her as odd about the entire situation. She’d kissed men before and never been so turned on. She hadn’t been this desperately aroused the time Venser had kissed her before. Only one man had ever gotten her so out of control so easily; in fact she’d already thought of him once during this whole thing. And now that her thoughts were clear enough to function again, she realized that almost everything about this particular embrace was a mirror to ones she’d shared before. With Jace.

Lorissa abruptly stiffened in her lover’s arms, shoving against his chest and causing him to fall back in surprise. She glared up into the ruggedly handsome features of Venser, her senses on high alert. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but she didn’t think her body was lying to her. The way this man played her reactions to perfection was simply too accurate; as if honed by practice. This wasn’t Venser. So then…

“Who the fuck are you? Jace?”

* * *

Jace hadn’t meant to get so involved in the kiss; he hadn’t even planned on kissing Lorissa at all when he stormed up to her door wearing Venser’s face. To be honest, he’d been running on gut responses with no plan in mind whatsoever, something he normally loathed doing but seemed to make a habit of with her. He’d been driven by the need to understand her relationship with the other man and how much it colored the feelings she had for Jace. The two of them spent so much time together, it was natural to feel threatened; particularly when he didn’t know what their interactions were like. All he’d intended to do was pay her visit, have a neutral chat with her to see what things were like between them.

But she’d answered the door in a thin top that barely covered her navel, the outline of her breasts visible under the material. The shorts she was wearing were criminally high, exposing a tremendous amount of skin and a luscious line of beautifully formed leg. His libido, always at attention in her presence, had jumped to dangerous levels instantly. Unfortunately it had the predictable effect of reducing his intellect; his common sense crumbling under his lust as he crowded her out of instinct.

When she turned around to look at him, she must have felt he was standing too close and stumbled trying to step away. It triggered a myriad of responses in him, some of them so deep they resided in the reptilian section of his brain. On the conscious level he recognized she wasn’t comfortable sharing too much personal space with Venser; the implication being that while they might be attached to one another they probably hadn’t gotten physically intimate. The realization brought with it a visceral relief and satisfaction. Jace had to shake the urge to gloat; she might yell at him all the time but she didn’t avoid his touch; she craved it even when she was angry. Her retreat called to something more primitive as well, especially coupled with the newfound knowledge that she hadn’t had sex with Venser yet. The urge to chase down a mate, remind her who she belonged to, rashly compelled him to act before thinking things through and he was kissing her before he knew it.

Her reaction set off a whole new series of issues for him. As usual, the feel and taste of her was so spectacular it went straight to his head and he kissed her like he wanted to eat her alive, completely forgetting that he was wearing someone else’s face. At first she remained stiff in his embrace but it wasn’t long before she was kissing him back with that delectably sweet passion he craved. She was so responsive; always hot and ready for him to take her that his body was conditioned into its own state of readiness whenever she was around. He was so attuned to her, he noticed the instant her nipples got hard and his already aroused cock ached so intensely he rubbed himself against her. After that the kiss spun wildly out of control.

But even then, in the midst of the intense carnal need, his mind managed to taunt him that she wasn’t kissing Jace like this. She thought she was kissing Venser. They might not have had sex yet, but it seemed like she might be willing to give it a try. Irrational rage flared inside him, his hold tightening with an angry possessiveness he’d never experienced before but seemed to fall prey to quite frequently around her.

As agitated as he was, he still couldn’t resist the siren song of her body, slipping his thigh between hers and delighting in the way she wantonly rode it. He was drowning in the kiss just as much as she was, her excitement fueling his own as he guided her towards an orgasm. He could feel the tension in her body, sense her rising arousal so acutely it was almost painful. He thrust his body against the length of hers, his hips rocking in a simulation of the way he fucked her, torn between being furious at her for her desire and powerless to being swept along by it.

And then she suddenly broke out of his embrace, forcing him away as she demanded to know who he was. His blood froze in his veins when she said his name out loud. He’d messed up with her once again and he had no idea how he was going to get himself out of this disaster of his own making. 


	42. Chapter 42

Lorissa waited with the barest veneer of patience, arms crossed over her chest as she leaned away from the man in front of her whose face was familiar but whose identity she wasn’t certain of. In spite of her current situation, she wasn’t afraid, although perhaps she should be. She had Nix there and she didn’t think a man who’d been kissing her senseless was about to threaten her with physical harm now. She was more concerned about the emotional fall out she could sense lurking in the wings. Anger and aggravation coiled within her; if her suspicions were correct she wasn’t sure how she was going to react.

Jace stared back at her, his illustrious brain that he so prided himself on coming up completely blank. How did he elucidate something like this? Was there even an explanation that could cover it? Once again he had done something totally reprehensible in his obsession with her; the only saving grace at the moment was she had no idea how often he’d fallen into such behavior pursuing his lust for her. But he knew this was going to be a huge blow to her trust in him; there was no way around it. He’d disguised himself to get close to her; and while this wasn’t the first time he’d done it, she’d been unaware of the previous one. Short of running out of her house, which was tempting thanks to his current brain freeze, she wasn’t letting him leave there without answers if the set of her shoulders and the scowl furrowing her brow were any indication.

“I’m waiting,” she succinctly emphasized into the tension laden silence, not inclined to give the man a moment to come up with what would undoubtedly be another lie.

With a sigh, Jace allowed the illusion on him to fade away, the rugged lines of Venser’s features smoothing out into his own more refined ones, the hazel blue eyes brightening to pure cerulean as the leaner outline of his true form emerged.

Her eyes widened in shock at the transformation, tracing over him from head to toe with confused irritation, her body straightening up as her hands clenched into fists. “What is this Jace?”

“I needed to understand what’s between you and Venser,” he mumbled, aware as he spoke that it was hardly justification for what he’d done but also incapable of thinking of an excuse more understandable than the truth.

In that instant Lorissa had so many questions it took her a moment to select the most currently pressing. Thanks to her divided thoughts, she managed to sound far more serene than she was feeling. “You couldn’t have just asked me?”

Her voice was remarkably calm but Jace wasn’t stupid; he suspected she was too surprised to have had a chance to get angry yet. “I thought this was the way to get the most honest answer out of you.”

“By lying to me,” she slowly said, her expression growing increasingly irate. “And kissing me disguised as someone else.”

He winced and reflexively ran a hand through his hair so that the locks stood in disarray; well aware of how poorly conceived the idea had been. “I didn’t plan on doing this; I was just in the area and saw the two of you together and acted on impulse.”

She preferred not losing her temper during a conversation as rule, having long ago decided that once she let emotions rule her words then she had lost a debate. So she did her best to analyze what he was telling her at face value, repressing the outrage and pain that was fighting to surface thanks to his deception. But it was difficult to be understanding; every time she considered trusting him he seemed to make her regret it and at the same time, be disappointed in herself for extending that trust.

He had seen her with Venser and gotten angry; whether it was jealousy or something as simple as being territorial she couldn’t say. It always felt like he was presenting her with problems; it would serve him right if she did decide to date Venser, who by contrast did everything possible to bring comfort and tranquility to her life. 

“You had me completely fooled,” she whispered, in more ways than one she realized, the incident reminding her how very little she actually knew this man. She had noticed before that he seemed to know his way around illusion spells, but this level of mastery was something rare. He had looked, smelled and tasted like Venser. If he hadn’t given himself away by being too aggressive, she would have never known. Power of that level was at least on par with the highest ranking mages in her guild.

“I didn’t want to fool you, as much as figure out your feelings,” he quietly disputed her when it would have been undoubtedly wiser to hold his tongue. But he refused to accept blame for any and all suppositions she might have.

She gave him an arch look that did not bode well. “And did you figure out my feelings from one kiss? Am I really that simple?”

This was definitely dangerous footing, for more than one reason. Insulting her wasn’t going to further his agenda; although at this point he wasn’t even certain that was a possibility. He’d fucked up; in reality he should just shoot for damage control. “Of course you’re not simple, nothing about this thing between us is. For the record, I don’t normally act so…carelessly. But I had to know and nothing else mattered, I’m sorry. And while it’s true I can’t claim to have an insight to the entire range of your feelings in regards to Venser; I know from the way I had to come after you to get that kiss, you haven’t slept with him.”

As usual, his explanation angered her as much as it enlightened her. He was clearly serious about being involved in her life; he kept showing up in it whether she wanted him to or not. She could loosely understand his curiosity about what was between her and Venser, but he wasn’t entitled to know unless she wanted to talk to him about it. The thought of talking about her feelings for either man made her distinctly uncomfortable but she might have done it had he bothered to come and discuss it with her. But he hadn’t; instead concocting some half assed plan to try and get a reaction out of her that he thought would give him the truth. In a way it had; he was right that she hadn’t slept with Venser.

More troubling though, was that he thought his actions were justified. Oh, he’d apologized to her and called his behavior careless but did he really mean it? Given how often he seemed to do whatever the hell he wanted, she doubted it. It was up to her to make certain he understood she had boundaries he couldn’t cross.

“Ok, look, this kind of crap has to stop,” there was a warning in her tone, her eyes direct as she stared up at him, her hands resting on her hips. “You can’t keep doing whatever you want and expecting me to just smile and take it. There’s not even really a…you and me, officially. For you to keep acting so territorially alpha is way out of bounds. I don’t appreciate it at all and it’s a damn fast way to get your ass removed from my life.”

Jace understood the attraction between them was capable of surmounting anything, even her current aggravation, so he genially nodded in agreement, not about to risk upsetting her further. Lorissa sensed he was humoring her, but she couldn’t figure out a way to be clearer and nagging wasn’t in her nature. So she blew out a long, slow breath and carefully enunciated, “I am going to be pissed about this for a while; it’s a gross breach of trust. You have to swear you’ll never do this to me again.”

He immediately nodded once more, voice solemn as he swore, “I won’t do this to you again.”

He had no need to disguise himself as Venser again; he’d gotten the answer he was looking for. They hadn’t slept together and if he had his way, they never would.

Now that she’d extracted his word, she tilted her head to one side inquisitively, her irritation taking a back seat to her curiosity, which had always been one of the strongest guiding factors in her life. “You’re very good,” she murmured as she studied him from head to toe and then blushed at his knowing smile. “I mean at illusions! I had no idea you were such a proficient illusionist.”

“I’m the best,” he stated with complete immodesty, aware there was likely no one who was his peer at illusions, throwing in a wink at her just to tease another blush onto her cheeks.

She rolled her eyes at his juvenile antic; still annoyed at what he’d done but also aware she couldn’t do much about it. He was bigger than her, stronger than her, could use magic with obvious ease. She could vent her displeasure and withhold her company, but that was about it for disciplining someone like him. He did seem desperate for her approval; his infatuation with her body was something she hadn’t figured out but didn’t doubt. And that attraction was mutual. He was a handsome man; part of the reason she had such a difficult time forgetting about him was because of how combustible the passion between them was. No matter how irritated they were with one another, as soon as they touched, all of it disappeared as if completely irrelevant, incinerated under a lust that made them mindless. Of course once the heat between them died down to a manageable level, their issues were still there waiting since they never seemed to get fully addressed.

On the other hand, she was relieved that it had turned out to be him after all, that her body didn’t betray her for the touch of various men, just this one.

She honestly didn’t know if it was worth her time trying to sort through the challenges of being with him. He was erratic, flighty, incapable of recognizing his failings and he made decisions that appeared to be consistently unwise. He also had trust issues, given how frequently he opted to deceive her rather than ask her what he wanted to know. None of these traits recommended him as a partner and yet…she still wanted to give him a chance. Perhaps more of the problem lied with her than she wanted to admit.

“Get out of my house,” she finally muttered with a sigh, “Looking at you confuses me right now. And stay away. I’d rather not see you for a while.”


	43. Chapter 43

Several weeks later, Lorissa had fallen into a routine again, comfortable with the predictable if monotonous days in the company of a man who respected her boundaries. Venser had always been a genial companion, restful and capable of conversing with her about virtually anything of interest. He was also content to spend time together without pushing her for anything else and she appreciated his restraint, although now she was more aware of his interest than she had been before. In fact, she was much more conscious of him as a man in general lately; her eyes frequently drawn to the wide breadth of his shoulders and the fluid grace of his hands. She was fascinated by the adept way he handled spell components with equal parts agility and competence; it made her wonder if he was as good with his hands at other things. Which was a totally inappropriate thing to be thinking at work and also out of character for her, particularly regarding a man she viewed as a friend more than anything else.

Perhaps it was because of the impassioned kiss she had shared with Jace while he had been disguised as Venser. Although she now knew it had never been the Sojourner to begin with, she still had vivid, hot memories of his powerful body, demanding mouth and capable hands. The first time she’d seen him after Jace had kissed her wearing his face, she’d experienced a confusing conflagration of passion. Her mind had known she hadn’t straddled Venser’s thigh and ground against it while desperate with desire, but her body didn’t seem to make a distinction, reacting to the visual cue of his presence.

It was unnerving to feel herself respond to him in such a hotly sexual way; this man had become very dear to both her family and her. She resented experiencing desire that was misplaced and could jeopardize their friendship. Something else she could lay the blame for at Jace’s feet. She had always found Venser attractive but never in such a carnal light, even after their shared kiss she hadn’t been overwhelmed with physical cravings for him like she was with Jace. She didn’t care for this newfound attraction she felt for him, because she recognized it wasn’t genuine. 

As for Jace, she had decided to keep her distance from him for a while. He had proven himself to be too volatile and aggressive to have around while she was trying to figure out what she wanted with him, if anything. She had been reflecting on their interactions, which had been admittedly limited but still seemed to consist of either amateurish arguing or sensational sex. Other than the physical intimacy, there hadn’t been what she considered meaningful exchanges between them. She barely knew him as a person; frankly she didn’t owe him anything and was free to walk away from anything he proposed.

Now, what she owed herself was another matter. She had been single for a large portion of her life, not only because she had been so busy pursuing a secure position in the Izzet League but also because she had refused to open herself up to being hurt. Most people she knew were magic users and looked down on those who couldn’t cast spells themselves. Jace was clearly a powerful mage; he didn’t seem to mind her lack of magical ability but she was pragmatic to the core and realized it was early in their association. What one found permissible in the beginning could easily become intolerable given the passing of time. He might change his mind later, if in fact things got serious between them.

Given his track record for running from even minor confrontations, it was likely he might cut and run. Although to be fair, he had given his word not to do that anymore and so far he seemed to be sticking to it. Of course, trusting his word was another matter altogether given how frequently he misled her. That was perhaps an issue as troubling as their mismatched magical talents; lack of trust could have serious ramifications and it made for a terribly unstable foundation.

But she couldn’t deny how alive he made her feel either. As aggravating as he was, he challenged her intellect with his constant mad schemes and he aroused her body with his very presence. Sometimes he was able to get a smile out of her, when he wasn’t pissing her off. She had caught glimpses of a sense of humor beneath his arrogant veneer. He was infuriatingly controlling and high handed though; and while that could be fun to experiment with sexually it was a pain in the ass as a trait in a partner, especially for someone as independent as she was. So she just wasn’t sure about dating him. 

She still didn’t know how to get in touch with him, but she had a hunch it would be easy enough to locate him if needed. He had an annoying way of showing up in her life at the most inconvenient of moments. And he was always in her head; an irritating fact that couldn’t be denied. Thoughts of her many sexual escapades with Jace coupled with her recently heightened attraction to Venser left her in a distinctly dissatisfied state most of the time; her body uncaring of her mind’s wishes, only wanting to be sated. Luckily there were measures she could take to address the problem when she got home. And tonight she was going to indulge in one. 

Lorissa enjoyed masturbation. It felt delightful because she knew exactly what got her off, it helped her relax and she got to be selfish since she didn’t have to worry about anyone else’s pleasure but her own. She frankly thought the world would be a better place if people did it more often. She herself did it on a daily basis; more frequently as needed. As a result, she had collected a variety of items to assist in her play time and now she reached under her bed to draw out her box of toys. She glanced through the assorted devices before selecting a pair of small matched globes.

She had come across creation notes for the pair of intricately carved spheres by accident. She’d been sorting through a stack of scrolls regarding physical treatments for various ailments when she’d found the interesting document detailing the balls. They had apparently originally been created to assist women with muscle recovery after childbirth, but it was quickly discovered that they served a secondary purpose of providing pleasure as well. Undeniably curious, she had gone to a blacksmith and had them craft the sleek metal spheres for her according to the scroll’s designs. Her initial use of the globes had been clumsy but fantastic and since then she’d become quite good at utilizing them for satisfying herself.

She carried the balls over to her bed and then quickly stripped off her skirt and panties with plans to redress afterwards; it was too early in the day to change into her pajamas. She flopped down onto her bed and then placed a pillow up against the headboard before scooting backwards until she was comfortably braced against it. Only then did she let her thighs fall apart, bringing one of the shining orbs up to roll it gently around her clit as she closed her eyes and thought of her favorite fantasy. _Jace._

* * *

Jace was having the longest morning of his life; at least that’s what it felt like as he listened to the seemingly endless list of property entailment disputes the Orzhov emissary was rattling off to him. One would think that there would be more to worry about after death, but apparently money ruled even beyond the grave. The young man he was talking with was efficient and well spoken, his demeanor at once highly educated and wealthy. Tomik Vrona was one of the more interesting and lively of his emissaries; and as far as Jace could tell he was also the lover of Ral Zarek which meant he had an astute brain to go with his pretty face. Even so, it didn’t make the subject matter more interesting.

So it was with a strong sense of relief that Jace heard his name whispered in the recesses of his mind; there was only one person that his subconscious constantly scanned for. Lorissa was thinking about him; calling out for him really although he knew she wasn’t aware of it. He had been waiting for just such an event for what felt like ages; she had summarily dismissed him from her life weeks ago. He had existed in a state of uncertainty; aware he had no one to blame for her distance but himself thanks to his most recent manipulation of her. As the days went by, he had begun to wonder if the damage he had done was irreparable, so it was with considerable relief he registered her thoughts of him.

And just like that, he lost the ability to focus on the complex property disputes that Tomik was valiantly attempting to discuss with him. He held up a hand and said, “I apologize, I’m afraid I have sensed something rather urgent. Can we continue this discussion tomorrow?”

Tomik Vrona blinked in surprise; not used to being cut off by the Living Guildpact, who normally took his position quite seriously. There was a distinctly distracted look on the other man’s face at the moment, however, completely unlike his usual attentive one. Hardly in a position to argue, the advokist quietly agreed, watching as Jace stood with marked precipitousness and walked out the door. He slowly packed up his papers and since he now had some free time on his schedule, he decided to take a trip to the Izzet League to meet up with his partner.

“It was all quite strange,” Tomik mused to Ral while the two men curled around one another on the magewright’s work bench. “One moment we were going over the details of the entailments and the next the Living Guildpact was bolting out of there like he was on fire.”

Ral frowned, his mind sorting through possible causes for the other Planeswalker’s rapid departure. The overall list was surprisingly exstensive but, given the man’s recent behavior, he suspected he knew who the top priority was. Lorissa. Ral shot to his feet, dislodging Tomik in the process and said, “Sorry, but I’m afraid I have to go as well. I should be home early tonight.”

He kissed Tomik by way of apology, a long and leisurely exchange with a hint of tongue that brought both men a surge of pleasure, their hips lightly churning so their mirroring erections rubbed against each other. Although he wanted to prolong the sensation, Ral forced himself to break the contact, instinctively sensing he needed to interfere with Jace’s visit to Lorissa. Tomik sighed and then waved him off, both men laughing as they adjusted their uncomfortably tight pants before they separated and headed to their respective destinations. 

Even though Jace had castigated himself multiple times about invading Lorissa’s thoughts, it still came to him like second nature as soon as he began following the thread of her calling his name. The sound was focused, rife with longing, and his blood immediately began to pound through his veins at the implication. She was touching herself again while thinking about him. He couldn’t resist the impulse to look in on her anymore than he could prevent his heart from beating. So he stopped where he was in the street and turned his attention inward, following the line of her thoughts until he could see her sprawled out half naked on her bed. She had a hand between her legs already, the other drifting in random circles over her body, and he gritted his teeth as intense sexual need surged through him.

Jace started moving again, the shrewd part of his mind formulating a plan even as his instincts clamored to take over. He was at Nivix in the blink of an eye, refraining from teleporting directly into the inner aerie out of respect for the guildmaster, opting to materialize outside of the chamber. The sentry on guard gave a startled yelp at his sudden appearance, he quelled the goblin with a fierce glare as he demanded, “I want an audience with your parun.”


	44. Chapter 44

The poor guard stationed outside of Niv-Mizzet’s inner aerie looked understandably terrified, although it was hard to say whether it was due to Jace’s sudden appearance or his request. “I’m afraid he’s not available at the moment,” the sentinel managed to squeak, cowering at the scowl his response earned him but more afraid of his liege than the human before him. Niv-Mizzet was known to eat those who displeased him.

“He will see me,” Jace said confidently. “Now go in there and let him know Jace Beleren is here, or I will show myself in.”

The goblin paled; aware such a breach would be viewed as total failure of his duties, making death a more likely possibility. “Wait here,” he babbled, hastily turning to scramble through the door. 

Jace tapped a foot in annoyance, vaguely aware of the deep timbre of Niv-Mizzet’s voice booming inside the chamber as it lashed at the guard in obvious displeasure. Given a moment to himself, he immediately checked back in on his lover’s activities, biting back a groan as he watched her spread her legs and slide what looked like two metal globes around her dripping cunt. He blindly reached out to brace himself against a wall as lust roiled through him, bringing with it a predatory impatience that had little tolerance for the time he was wasting. 

Lorissa had become quite obsessed, at least sexually, with the man who seemed to drift in and out of her life and daily routine with alarming frequency. He showed up at her work, at her house and even in her dreams. Given how strongly she was attracted to him, she supposed it was inevitable that he’d become her favorite thing to think about while getting off. She knew his scent, his taste, the feel of his body to the exact detail. As she leisurely slid her shirt up to cup her breast, she thought about his rough, demanding touch when he would tug on her nipples. The low simmer of desire between her legs smoldered into something stronger, her body filling with a languid heat that left her wet and ready, opening her pussy up to accept his cock. Unfortunately it wasn’t at her disposal at the moment; the balls would have to do. 

She easily slid one inside her sleek passage, biting down on her lower lip as delicate sensation tingled through her while she inserted the first ball with careful precision. As it settled into place against her inner walls, jagged spikes of feeling streaked through her body, heightening her senses, her skin suddenly receptive and eager for contact. The breast beneath her hand grew swollen and the barest amount of pressure from her fingertips on her nipple caused a spasm in her pussy, the feeling so intense. She was slippery with desire, the second ball gliding into place without trouble and pleasure inundated her senses as it clinked against the first sphere, the vibrations of the light contact an exquisite experience.

Niv-Mizzet was wearing an amused if questioning look on his face as Jace strode into the room, the dragon surrounded by a sea of books indicating he had been disturbed in the midst of research. “What emergency brings the Living Guildpact to my abode unannounced and uninvited?”

It was a warning as much as a greeting and Jace reminded himself to curb his temper; he was here for purely selfish reasons and intruding upon the Firemind’s time. Taking a slow, calming breath, he replied, “Pardon the intrusion parun, I wouldn’t have disturbed you without a matter of some urgency to me.”

The dragon ruffled his enormous wings, setting off a breeze in the aerie, his expression decidedly sardonic, having noted the wording. “Do enlighten me to the event that so concerns you.”

Jace flushed, not only at the comment rife with derision but also at the realization the leviathan was correct to be agitated. This was a purely personal matter and he had no intention of sharing the details. “It’s between me and my emissary,” he evasively responded, which was entirely true.

Niv-Mizzet’s eyes narrowed shrewdly and then, quite unexpectedly, the earlier annoyance faded from his countenance, morphing into something vaguely calculating that served to make the man trepidatious. “Then by all means tell me your request and I’ll endeavor to have it fulfilled.”

Jace eyed him suspiciously; the dragon suddenly being solicitous putting his instincts on edge. But before he could carefully consider the change in behavior, he heard in the background of his mind the soft whimpering of Lorissa and realized she was quickly approaching her climax. He wouldn’t allow it; he was in no mood to be content as a spectator. 

“I want you to summon Lorissa to the Aerie immediately,” Jace demanded, stalking the enormous chamber like a caged beast, spurred by agitated desire.

“In what capacity, one has to wonder,” the dragon chidingly mused, clearly noting the frustration evident in the man’s tense frame.

Not inclined to go into it further, Jace forgot his need for cautious respect, his response a curt, “I will meet her in her lab. See it done,” before he quit the room.

Niv-Mizzet’s muzzle wrinkled with a snarl of irritation, not used to taking commands and finding them not to his taste. Still, the Guildpact’s word was law so even as he chafed at the necessity, he dispatched a messenger to his archivist’s house with the understanding the matter required haste.

Jace had been taking note of Lorissa’s schedule far longer than he cared to acknowledge, so he was easily able to locate her lab, letting himself in and settling down into a corner that faced the door. He instantly reconnected his thoughts with Lorissa’s, sucking in a sharp breath as he experienced the intense heated longing that was coursing through her. She had done something to herself; a quick search through her recent thoughts revealed the insertion of two metal balls deep inside her. His body reacted with jealous aggravation; his state of arousal increasing to an uncomfortable degree even as he resented her for trying to substitute something in his place. That she had been thinking of him was satisfying and gratifying; that she refused to seek him out frustrating in the extreme. He was going to make her understand this thing between them was not to be resisted.

Lorissa was basking in the sensual onslaught of her body, her hands lazily drifting over her curves as she indulgently rolled her hips, when a loud knock on her front door jarred her out of her reverie. She sat bolt upright on the bed, frowning in agitation that quickly escalated to alarm as another series of thuds reached her ears. Apparently it was someone with an urgent need; she debated pretending like she wasn’t home but since her visitors were so rare she decided that whoever had come to call must have a genuine concern. With a sigh, she slipped out of the bed, hastily pulled down her skirt and headed for the door. She bit her lip at the first step, the balls lodged inside her gently shifting with the impact and motion, flagrant sensation skittering through her already aroused body. She almost paused then to remove the spheres but another staccato rapping had her on the move again, each footfall sending pulsing waves of pleasure through her until she was running wet.

She was taking short breaths by the time she yanked open the door, her demeanor agitated and distracted, completely unprepared for the sight that greeted her. A messenger from the Izzet League was just raising his fist to hammer on the door again and nearly hit her in the face. He pulled back in surprise, stuttering an apology before hurriedly informing her that Niv-Mizzet requested she go to her lab at the bequest of the Living Guildpact.

Caught off guard and compromised by the salacious state of her body, Lorissa weakly tried to come up with an excuse not to go but the messenger had been told it was a matter of some import so he refused to leave without her. She couldn’t really blame him, their parun took failure poorly. So taking a deep breath to fortify herself, she gingerly slid on a pair of backless shoes, lamenting the inability to change out of her outfit which was decidedly not appropriate for work. As she was readying to step outside, the messenger informed her he had a teleportation spell at hand for them to use; she blinked at this further indicator of something being amiss. What was so urgent that it couldn’t wait? Sighing, she waved him inside, locked the door and then placed her hand on his arm, grimacing as the spell materialized them directly outside of her lab.

The messenger placidly waited for her to enter the room, calmer now that his duty had been nearly completed. Lorissa muttered under her breath as she made her way into the lab, flipping on the lights as she shut the door behind her. She nearly shrieked when the overhead glow revealed the outline of a very familiar man lounging in a chair directly across from her. “What are you doing here?”

Jace studied her from beneath lowered eyelids, his posture an odd combination of relaxation and anticipation. His eyes leisurely skimmed over her body, making her incredibly aware of how little skin her sweetheart tank top and mini box pleated skirt covered. Her body, already primed for sex thanks to her own ministrations and the presence of the globes still lodged inside her, responded to that look with graphic intensity. Her breasts and pussy swelled with heated reaction, engorged just from being in his presence. Rivulets of fluid trickled down her inner thigh, thankfully hidden from view by the short skirt. 

He thought she looked delectable in her little outfit, the tank top easy to slide down and the skirt equally able to be flipped up. He noted the way her nipples visibly hardened beneath the thin material of her top, his hunger ratcheting up another notch, holding himself in the chair with considerable constraint. “Fulfilling a task for the Living Guildpact,” he replied, shifting in place to alleviate the pressure of his pants against his dick.

Lorissa noted the minimal motion, her eyes instantly drawn to the sash across his lap, which for once didn’t work against her sight, the outline of his erection obvious. The need inside her grew; she’d always been susceptible to her attraction to him and right now she was so turned on she found him virtually impossible to resist.

“You know him,” she managed to get out on a suffocated breath, unable to tear her gaze away from his crotch.

“Better than anyone,” Jace quietly answered, wondering how to proceed now that he had his prey in sight, noting her proximity to the door and her skittishness. He didn’t want to push too fast and frighten her away. “You look flushed, are you alright?”

Lorissa’s cheeks, shaded pink with arousal, turned an even darker shade of red at his polite inquiry. “I was just brought in to Nivix on short notice at the request of the Living Guildpact; I’m out of sorts. Thank you, though.”

Jace smothered a smile at her discomfiture and reply; even in her current state she was still well mannered. And her gaze was noticeably fixated on his lap, a fact that brought his already hard cock to further prominence. “I have already taken care of the matter you were sent for.”

His response surprised her enough to finally tear her eyes away from his shaft and focus on his face. “You did?”

“Yes,” he assured her, and then moved on before she could ask further questions. “That’s why I’m in here. Although now, I think it seems as if the two of us need something taken care of too.”

She didn’t think he was aware of the nature of her current problem, until he deliberately glided a hand to the front of his sash and over the length of his erection. For a second she forgot how to breathe, every part of her being absorbed in following the casual motion of his hand as he brushed the sash aside and firmly rubbed his palm down the material of his pants against his dick. “Lock the door behind you.”


	45. Chapter 45

There were many reasons Lorissa should refuse the softly stated demand Jace had issued. The two of them were on such uncertain ground; he was determined to press his suit and she had decided to let it play out but she was still skeptical about his intent. And furious that he had kissed her while disguised as Venser, deeply resentful of the deception. That was a slight that was going to take a long time for him to make up for. Sex would only make everything more complicated; unfortunately her body disagreed and she loved sleeping with him.

Jace waited with forced patience, watching the variety of emotions flicker over her face, easily able to discern what they were without reading her mind. He took that time to study her unhindered, appreciating the delicate curves and slender grace, the tank top dipping just enough at the neckline to expose the tops of her modest bust, her gorgeous breasts full and pert. The outline of her nipples was still visible, tantalizing his already rapacious senses. He knew the deep color of them, the textured way they felt when he pinched them, the delicious taste of them when he sucked on them until she was drenched with want. He took a deep breath to calm himself, nostrils flaring like a stallion ready to mount his mate. He wanted to bend her over and thrust deep until she screamed for him.

Instead, he calmly spoke into the growing silence to assuage her doubts and soothe her nerves. “I know you’re worried about moving too fast, so I’ll stay right here and we can just watch. That should be safe enough, don’t you think?”

Lorissa tilted her head as she took in his words, the offer a strong temptation if it was what she suspected. But, to keep the boundaries clear for her conscience, she had to be sure. “Are you suggesting we masturbate together?”

He would suggest anything she wanted to hear in order to keep her there with him right now; his nod an acceptance of the limitations. This acquiescence could lead him to greater rewards after all; he knew how hot blooded she could be in bed, her passion an intoxicating part of her allure.

Her eyes flickered to where he was still occasionally rubbing his thumb across his shaft, the rigid outline prominent and enticing. The thought of him wrapping his fingers around that delicious cock and stroking it was incredibly sexy, the ache between her legs intensifying with sharp impatience. She’d never gotten to watch him do that, she found the temptation of his offer impossible to resist, his virility able to wear away her doubts with remarkable ease. Wordlessly, she reached behind her and turned the lock in the door before dropping down onto a nearby chair, her eyes transfixed by the sight of him unfastening his belt and pants, the annoying sash discarded to the side. He casually pulled back the flap on his underwear, the head of his engorged cock immediately pushing free. She licked her lips as libidinous urges crept through her, encouraging her to crawl over to him and slide that gorgeous erection into her mouth, but she remained where she was with an extreme exertion of will. 

Jace took note of her heated stare, his own excitement climbing as he witnessed hers, their ability to easily arouse one another one of the things that rendered him helpless to keep away from her. He curled his fingers around the base of his shaft, propping it upright, enjoying the way her eyes traced its turgid length. He settled himself more securely into his seat, leaning back his head so it rested against the wall behind him as he looked at her through his lashes and lazily pumped his hand up and down his dick, suppressing a groan when her lips parted and her little pink tongue darted out to lick them. He knew she was thinking about sucking his cock and fuck, did he want her to.

“You’re very lovely, you know,” he murmured, his hushed voice purely conversational, belying the raging need running in his veins as he feasted on her with his gaze. “You have beautiful breasts, legs, eyes, lips; everything really. I think about you all the time when I get off.” Even when he was with other women, but there was no need to go into that.

His nonchalant admission had as much of an effect on her as watching the relaxed pace of his hand stroking his cock, inciting her desire to a fever pitch. At that moment she thought he was beautiful himself; his lean strength curbed, sprawled out before her almost fully clothed so that the sight of his erection was even more titillating to her senses. Her body, already aching from her earlier interrupted play and the spheres still lodged within her, began to pulse with the practiced motions of his hand.

The need to touch herself spiked abruptly, but she hesitated, an acute shyness arresting her. She had masturbated countless times in the past but not explicitly for a partner. Jace looked perfectly comfortable at the moment and she briefly wondered if this was a common occurrence for him, the thought sparking an annoying jealousy within her at the thought of him displaying his magnificent body for another woman. She quickly dismissed it, aware there was no permanent tie between them and she had no more claim to his past than he had to hers. And because it was easier to dwell in the moment, she flipped up her skirt, smiling to herself when she saw his eyes darken and his hand fall still at the sight of her bare pussy. She hadn’t bothered to put on panties before leaving because there hadn’t been any time. 

Jace’s libido kicked into full alert at the sight of her on display for him, her shapely thighs spread wide. She was exquisitely delicate and dripping wet; he was intimately acquainted with how very receptive she was to his dick. His grip tightened convulsively on the base of his shaft as his breathing accelerated, his previous poise beginning to desert him as more primal imperatives switched on.

“Fucking gorgeous,” he rasped out as his hand started pumping up and down his engorged cock, the look on his face one of intent animalistic preoccupation as ripples of pleasure and expectant anticipation flowed out to the rest of his body. He’d jerked off a lot and was quite familiar with the enjoyment of self fulfillment; this was something else and it felt amazing. He wasn’t sure if it was because he perpetually wanted her or because of how hot she looked right then, with her pretty cunt wet and crammed full of sex toys that she didn’t know he was aware of.

Lorissa gently rolled her hips as she watched him work his dick with practiced ease, pre cum slipping out of the tip and running along his hard length. She bit her bottom lip in appreciation of his virile exhibition, her fingers drifting down to her clit, captivated by the way his eyes hungrily followed them down. She lightly brushed against the sensitive bud, shuddering at the lash of exquisite feeling that whipped through her, everything heightened by the balls inside her, his presence in the room in all its glorious masculinity and the knowledge he was going to get himself off watching her.

Their concupiscence lent a simmering energy to the air as she reached up to cup a breast with her other hand, gently rubbing her thumb over the outline of her nipple, the sound of Jace’s accelerated breathing as he appreciated the view adding to the thrill that coursed through her. Her breasts and passage felt ripe, luscious and begging for his touch; her fingers plucking at her nipple and clit as she grew increasingly turned on from not only the heated pleasure running though her body but the fast, confident way he stroked his cock. She loved his hands; he knew how to caress her in a way that brought maximum enjoyment. He was staring at her with a predatory focus as he pumped his fist, glance drifting from her face to her breasts and then coming to rest between her thighs. His rhythm abruptly grew far less composed, his expression feral, triggering an answering lust in her that was bone deep and purely instinctual. She swiveled the hand between her legs so that her thumb was rubbing her clit as she slid a pair of fingers into her pussy, moaning at the penetration. 

Jace bit off a curse under his breath, bewitched by the sight of her playing with her nipple, the sucking sounds of her fingers slipping in and out of her tight, hot cunt, recalling with sharp clarity how perfect it felt around his dick, as if she had been created solely to take him in and give him satisfaction. Dark hunger surged in him, urging him to cross the room, knock her hands out of the way, and ram his aching cock inside her. To use his hands, mouth and body to show her she was his; this strange dance between them unnecessary and pointless. In the end, he intended to have all of her.

A sudden knocking on the laboratory door thundered through the room like the blast of a cannon, tearing through their breathy sighs and instantly drawing their attention to the entrance. Lorissa jolted upright, frantically knocking down her skirt just as a man said, “Why is this locked? I’m coming in.”

Jace’s eyes narrowed in fury as the familiar voice registered in his mind; he waved a hand through a quick pattern of symbols not a moment too soon, Ral Zarek materializing before them just as Jace’s illusion covered the evidence of his partial nudity. 

Ral had suspected Jace had come to visit Lorissa, but he was still surprised to find the man in the lab after hours. If it had been anyone else, he would not have been allowed at the aerie. Jace was tolerated because of who he was, even if only a handful of the highest ranking members knew his identity.

Ral’s shrewd glance took in Lorissa’s disheveled, flushed state, noting the signs of arousal her body was exhibiting as he swung his attention to the other man. Jace looked unruffled, comfortably leaning back in a chair as if relaxed, but there was a menacing look in his eyes that belied his seeming placidity. The air around him seethed with a tightly coiled tension, undertones of raging energy held barely in check. Ral belatedly recalled how the Living Guildpact appeared to have a tendency to lose control of his common sense in the presence of this woman, and he understood he might be in danger.

“My apologies, I didn’t realize Lorissa had company,” he finally replied, inclining his head to Jace. “I was informed she had been summoned here regarding matters related to the Living Guildpact so I thought I would stop in to see if she needed any assistance.”

Jace wasn’t sure why he felt the Storm Mage was prevaricating, but his instincts insisted it was true. At the moment, it was less relevant than the removal of the other man’s presence. “No need, the matter has been handled already.”

Ral frowned at him, brows lowering as he tried to read the situation. Clearly something had been happening before he’d arrived; Lorissa was flushed and trembling. But if Jace insisted there was nothing more to take care of, Ral couldn’t dispute him. Although, it did bring to mind the question of whether Lorissa knew the truth of Jace’s identity. Ral somehow doubted it, there would have been more anger on her part, she wasn’t good at hiding her reactions. He wasn’t going to let Jace chase him off easily either.

“Excellent, then I have some questions for her about a project she has been working on with Venser for a spellbook,” he smoothly said, ignoring the scowl on the other man’s face as he glanced back at Lorissa. “Do you have time to go over some of your notes with me?”

Lorissa cast a helpless look at Jace; Ral was her senior and of superior standing in the guild, she couldn’t refuse a reasonable request from him. “Of course, let me just get the material together,” she softly commented, gingerly facing her desk to minimize movement of the spheres inside her, her thighs wet against the seat.

Jace’s agitation jumped to threatening levels, a vibration on the air signaling the roiling swell of his restless power. Ral ignored it, determined to prevent anything further from happening between the mismatched pair. Jace’s hands clenched into fists, the urge to violently remove the Storm Mage from the room climbing by the second. He understood such a confrontation would be unwise, their abilities more than capable of wreaking mass amounts of devastation on the surrounding area and more importantly posing a direct threat to Lorissa, but his body was approaching the point of not caring and it was pulling his more rational mind under with it’s primal need for release. He could teleport her to safety and then tear the other man apart.


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this fast and had no time to proof read so, sorry for the blunders ;)

Lorissa was suffocating under an onslaught of thwarted desire, her thoughts disjointed and vacillating between annoyance and relief at the appearance of the Storm mage thanks to her conflicting inclinations in regards to Jace. But even distracted as she was, she could sense the rising hostility in the room. Jace was teetering on the edge of vitriol, his expression at once flagrantly erotic and furious. Feelings that intense and incendiary tended to seek an outlet, and given the current state his body was most likely in, she seriously doubted he was going to opt for a responsible response considering how Ral had disrupted their play time. Meanwhile the clearly clueless guildmage was being careless enough to turn his back on the obviously agitated man. He was a laughably easy target at such close range. She had to do something before the situation went from volatile to violent.

She forced a bright smile in Ral’s direction, ignoring the scornful glower Jace angrily tossed at her as she waved the Storm mage over to her desk. 

“Very well, I shall take my leave so the pair of you can see to whatever imperative task Ral has for you,” Jace softly announced in a voice rife with irate disdain.

Ral inclined his head in acknowledgement of the pronouncement, wisely refraining from speaking since he had gotten his way. Lorissa eyed the Mind Sculptor in obvious disbelief; it wasn’t his nature to either retreat or give in with grace from what she had seen in the past.

“I am gone,” he declared, slowly inscribing the air with magical gestures she couldn’t understand, his stare fixed on Ral as he snapped his fingers. Then he leaned back in the chair and transferred his aggravated attention to her once more as he let his gaze skim over her body.

She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, but he gave a slight shake of his head as he lifted a finger to his lips to silence her. Her frown of consternation morphed to a gape of surprise when he nonchalantly slid his hand down his lolling torso and over his groin. His salacious smile was downright wicked as he dropped the illusion that had been veiling his state of undress; it widened perceptibly as her gaze instinctively locked in on his exposed penis.

She watched his graceful fingers glide along the length of his erection, the ache between her legs intensifying at the teasing display even as she tried to make sense of what was happening. What in the world was going on? How did Ral appear to be oblivious to the spectacular view they were being afforded?

Her startled expression clearly betrayed her thoughts and Jace laughed softly to himself as he wrapped his hand around his throbbing cock. He was at once irritated with and aroused by her; nothing new really given their history. But for once he felt like punishing her and he was in a unique situation to do it. He was all too aware of her attraction to him; she always fell into his arms with ease no matter how often he infuriated her. And she was dripping wet for him every single time, a recollection that had his cock surging to greater size as he leisurely started stroking himself in front of her again. Only now all she could do was helplessly watch, unable to even bring herself relief from the arousal he knew she was feeling.

Jace should have pitied her, familiar with being in such a state and aware of how agonizing it could be. Her willingness to hear out the Storm Mage had tapped into a possessively savage aspect of his nature however; one that demanded her absolute loyalty to him over any other man. It didn’t matter that Ral was her superior at work, she should have told him she could help him tomorrow and sent him away so they could continue with their amorous show. Instead she had opted for duty to her guild; something that was clearly going to be an inconvenience to them in the future unless she realized that her true priority should always be Jace. He intended to make that perfectly clear to her in the future; for now he would settle for her discomfort as a form of retribution.

Lorissa, unaware of the deliberately torturous nature of his display, hungrily watched the skillful way he pumped his dick, the motions smooth and unhurried, mirrored by the gentle rocking motions of his hips. She felt her body shift on her seat in unconscious answering response but stifled the movement when Ral looked at her askance. It was clear he had no awareness of Jace’s presence; his utter lack of response indicative of that fact. She doubted anyone, no matter how diplomatically skilled, would be able to mask their surprise at the sight of someone casually masturbating in front of them without warning. The question was, how was the Mind Sculptor managing to hide his presence so completely from the other man, who was without a doubt among the most powerful mages she’d ever known.

There had been multiple hints in the past regarding the level of Jace’s power; his ability to hide their presence outside of New Prahv despite having sex practically around the corner from the guild guards, the numerous times he had easily teleported into and out of her life, the way he had fully assumed the appearance of Venser down to the smell and taste when he had kissed her in disguise not too long ago. All of these factors indicated someone of incredible talent; on more than one occasion she had found herself wondering if Jace was a danger to her. He certainly traveled in lofty circles; he seemed to associate with several guildmasters on a routine basis and he apparently had some tie to the Guildpact as well. He was an individual of some influence; so what was he doing wasting time pursuing her?

And there could be no doubt that was his intention; he had stated as well as demonstrated his interest, multiple times and quite explicitly. She couldn’t help but question his motives; part of it was certainly sexual but she had a hard time believing he continued to seek her out simply for that reason alone. Unfortunately whatever goal he had in mind was beyond her ability to comprehend at the moment given her limited knowledge of him. She assumed it had something to either do with her family or Niv-Mizzet; those were the only individuals that she knew with any sort of influence or power in Ravnica. She didn’t trust him, a fact that remained no matter how attracted to him she was.

Even now, as the blood raced in her veins from watching him jerk off, part of her was wary. Unfortunately the longer she stared at him, the less attention she paid to the inner voice warning her to be careful. His graceful body spread out before her was temptation incarnate, his expression a strange combination of aggravation and arousal. He was upset with her, if his lustful glower was any indication, but she was hardly in a position to turn Ral Zarek away. She had worked her ass off to secure a place for herself in the Izzet League and she wasn’t about to recklessly toss that aside in a moment of passion.

Had she not been so turned on, she might have found Jace’s ire amusing. As it was, she couldn’t tear her eyes off of his flawless physique long enough to care about his agitation and Ral had to repeat himself twice before Lorissa was able to focus on his question. Jace smirked at her smugly as she stumbled over her replies, her gaze returning to him again and again, avidly following the steady movement of his hand as it swept up, down, up, down the length of his rigid erection.

He watched a dull flush of arousal spread over her honey colored skin as he deliberately looked her over from head to toe, the jerking motion of his fist picking up speed revealing his own rising need. Her soft lips were slightly parted and he recalled with vivid clarity thrusting down her throat until they both came; a sharp surge of hunger hitting him in the wake of that memory and robbing him of his arrogant smile.

“Fuck, I want inside you,” he growled out, hips rising as his cock swelled in his grasp, fighting the urge to cross the room and screw her until she screamed his name.

Lorissa blinked as if stunned, her eyes widening as she glanced at Ral but Jace shrugged dismissively. “He can’t see or hear me right now baby. Just you. All of this is just…for…you.”

He dragged the words out as he stroked his dick faster, enjoying the way she squirmed in her seat, glancing at her breasts, the outline of her nipples clear against the fabric. “I love the little sounds you make when I suck your tits,” he whispered, his words a shock to her senses. “I wish I could play with your breasts right now, just to hear you make them.”

Lorissa had already been turned on for what felt like an eternity, unable to climax thanks to the summons she had received from Niv-Mizzet and now due to the appearance of Ral Zarek. Her body was on fire, desperate for a release, her pussy aching with the need to be filled up. The balls inside her were a poor substitute for the willing cock across the room, and as she watched Jace give her an appreciative once over, she felt herself growing increasingly damp. She squeezed her thighs together, trying to quell her libidinous need.

He zeroed in on the movement, biting his lip as he registered its meaning. “Is that pretty pussy getting wet for me?”

She stifled a gasp, aware that even though Ral was unaware of Jace, the Storm Mage could see and hear _her_ perfectly well. Her hands clenched at her sides but she reluctantly nodded as the Architect of Thought demanded an answer with his intense stare.

He groaned at her admission, pre cum leaking from the tip of his throbbing shaft, gratified to note the way she followed the slow slide of the fluid down to his base. She excited him to an insane degree and only his deepest seated beliefs of right and wrong kept him from striking down Ral in that instant in order to slide into her body.

Lorissa licked her lips in appreciation of his flagrant display of masculinity, hypnotized by the rhythmic motion of his hand jacking himself off. She was responding to Ral with short, monotone syllables now and the man was giving her strange sideways glances but she couldn’t care less. She was absorbed in watching the sway of Jace’s hips, the undulating motions of his body causing her breath to quicken and her body to scream with desire.

In a way, the Storm Mage’s presence actually served to turn her on even more. He was clueless to what was happening and watching Jace pleasure himself for her in front of someone else was wildly erotic. Her clit was stinging with arousal and she longed to rub it but there was no way she could do it without getting caught. So instead she continued to slowly rub her thighs together, the slight motion jiggling the spheres inside her, sending pulses of pleasure through her soaked core.

Jace panted as he watched her fight down her urge to come; he was under no such restrictions and he could feel the tension climbing up his spine as he picked up the pace. “I bet that chair is drenched under you right now, shit I want to taste you, lick you until you come all over my tongue.”

Lorissa groaned at the visual his words brought on, and then quickly covered it with a short cough when Ral turned to stare at her before he asked, “Are you alright?”

“Never better,” she managed to strangle out between clenched teeth, her attention riveted on the rapidly pounding movements of Jace’s hand over his cock. The slapping sound seemed to thrum inside of her and she felt her cunt growing increasingly swollen with every motion.

“After I finished you off I’d pull you to the edge of the chair and kiss you so you could taste yourself in my mouth,” he groaned, the fire inside him escalating as he stroked himself faster and faster. “And then I’d push my big dick into that tight little cunt and fuck you until you came again, your pussy juices splashing all over my cock. _Fuck.”_

The last word ground out as more of a savage snarl as the building pressure suddenly snapped and he came, his eyes locked on hers as the incredible pleasure swept through him carrying him over the edge. Jace reveled in the intensity of the orgasm, in the wild craving he saw etched on her face as she watched his cum spray across his hand, hips and abdomen. He saw her own need rise as he got off and he felt a fierce satisfaction that she was as enthralled by him as he was by her.

He collapsed back into his seat with a groan, his chest heaving as he stared at her through his lashes before slowly starting to wipe himself off with his sash. She wasn’t even pretending to listen to Ral anymore, her expression one of agonized desire. It served her right for not telling Ral to leave but even so, part of him still wanted to soothe her heated body and bring her satisfaction.

He couldn’t do that unfortunately, so he simply said, “I want you to remember this tonight when you cum.”

And then he teleported home.


End file.
